Lucifer Complex
by YamiPaladinofChaos
Summary: [SO3 novelization] [Formerly All's Fair. See author's note in chapter 7] Partaking of the fruits of Knowledge is a dangerous thing. Yet when the Creator Himself is Evil, is defiance heresy?
1. Chapter 1 Broken Paradise

Disclaimer- I don't own Star Ocean. It is the property of the great Square-Enix and Tri-Ace.

Summary- This is a story about one young man who has a unique power that can change the outcome of a decision made by the greatest power of all. His journey to stop the impending destruction of our universe… Once he finishes dealing with the three girls hopelessly in love with him that is.

AN: A Star Ocean, Till the End Of Time novelization. This is a retelling of the game, but it does tend to focus more on the relationships than the plot at times. For the first and probably second chapter, most of the dialogue won't change. But after that, it will start to be a little different, but the plot is the same. And finally, if it isn't obvious, there will be SPOILERS for the entire game. Now the pairings so far are Fayt/Sophia, Fayt/Nel, Fayt/Maria.

* * *

Chapter 1 Broken Paradise

"Ah, that was great!" A young man of nineteen years said, walking towards the nearby chairs, stretching his long, slender arms heavenward, his sapphire colored hair glittering with sweat, and his emerald green eyes sparkling happily. He was of a slender build, looking like a well-toned athlete after a strenuous workout, which he was, but he had been not working out, but playing a virtual game. He wore a white sleeveless vest with black shorts and sandals.

"The game systems here are so awesome!" The young man said contentedly. "Phew, what a workout."

Suddenly, a young woman, perhaps around the age of seventeen, walked up to him, with an annoyed expression etched on her face. Her frame, which was shown off in large amounts by her two-piece bathing suit, was petite and quite delicate, with skin that was a light red, but looked as if it was normally an ivory color. A straw hat covered her chestnut brown hair, and she had the look of a person who had recently been down to the beach. She was holding two drinks, one for her, and one for the young man. Her smoky gray eyes, usually wide and expressive, were narrowed.

"Whoa!" The green-eyed man said, surprised to see the woman there. A bit of panic flashed in his emerald eyes, obviously remembering something. _Uhoh…_

The woman, despite her expression, handed him a drink.

The man took it, and smiled at her, but it was the smile of a person who remembers they forgot to do something. "Ah, hi, Sophia… You startled me. I thought you were swimming down at the beach." He said, slightly stammering and obviously nervous.

"I was waiting for you, Fayt, but you never came! You said you'd play a few games and then head right over…" Sophia said, annoyed and exasperated, as if this had happened several times before.

"Uh… I'm sorry! I didn't plan on staying so long, but I got kinda sucked in…" The sapphire haired man named Fayt stammered, Sophia's tone of voice obviously not helping his nervousness.

"All right, well, that's what I thought happened." Sophia said, almost to herself. She looked almost hurt that Fayt had forgotten her. "Didn't you say you had 'tons of homework to do' before we came to Hyda, anyway?" Sophia said, a tone of accusation in her voice, mixed in with her already established annoyance.

"But I was fighting so well today! And I leveled up a lot too, you know." Fayt protested, as if his status in a game would get him out of Sophia's ire.

"Yeah, yeah. How nice for you." Sophia muttered, still annoyed.

"Hmm, someone's in a bad mood today." The sapphire haired man muttered, shaking his head. _Girls. _

Sophia, however, caught his murmurs, and was quite annoyed. "What do you expect? You'd rather play games than hang out at the beach with me!" Now she was definitely hurt, Fayt could see that.

"Sophia?" He asked softly.

"Hmph!" The chestnut haired woman said, turning her head in annoyance, but also to avoid his eyes.

"You aren't…mad are you?" The emerald-eyed man asked, almost in disbelief.

Sophia looked at him, still in a huff. She was obviously used to the man's thickness with feelings, and was not as annoyed as others would be in her situation. "I'm not mad!" She huffed, looking away again, but her tone was obviously mad.

"Do you…wanna go to the beach?" Fayt asked, rubbing the back of his head. He obviously did not want this woman mad at him, which was understandable.

"I swam enough. While somebody I know was having the time of his life, playing games all by himself!" Sophia said, waving off his offer. She did look quite tired out by all the swimming.

The emerald-eyed man looked at a lost for a moment, but soon he managed to come up with another idea, that would hopefully keep him from receiving glares and the ire of his best friend. "So… Do you want to take a walk through the hotel? I bet it'll be fun. What do you say? C'mon! Please! Pretty please!?" He begged, desperate to not have an angry girl for the rest of his vacation. It would easily spoil it, like nothing else could.

Sophia looked as if she was thinking, tapping a finger against her pale chin. "Hmm, well, if you want to hang out with me that badly, I guess it's all right…" She said, shrugging, as if she was doing Fayt a favor.

"Great, let's go. Time's a wastin'!" The emerald eyed man said, grasping Sophia's hand and dragging her up to the room.

"Okay! Not so rough!" Sophia said, giggling softly. _For all of his flaws, he's such a sweetie_, she thought to herself as she was pulled towards her room.

* * *

The sapphire haired man stood against the wall, next to the door to Sophia's room. He looked slightly uncomfortable, the look of one who had been waiting for a long time in one place.

_Boy, she sure is taking forever! I bet she's making me wait on purpose! _Fayt thought, but knew that he deserved it. He would have to make it up to Sophia sometime.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Sophia stepped out of her room, the door sliding aside. She was dressed in a pink tank top, with blue jeans that were low cut, showing the barest hint of midriff. Quite a cute picture, the man noticed, but passed it off as hormones.

"Hi, Fayt!" Sophia greeted, looking at him strangely, as if she wanted him to notice her outfit.

Fayt, being the thickhead he was, didn't notice anything at all. "Took you long enough! What were you doing all that time?" He asked, exasperated, which turned out to be the wrong thing to say.

"Just changing. I didn't take that long did I? Besides, you kept me waiting—how long was it? Serves you right!" Sophia said, slightly huffy again. _Fayt can be so thick sometimes!,_ she thought to herself.

Fayt caught onto this, at least, and passed his comment off. "Right, right…" He said, agreeing with her. There was no winning an argument with Sophia for him. He had learned that soon after they became friends.

Sophia had been part of his life forever, it seemed. Their parents had worked together back on Moonbase, and they had grown up together, hardly ever being separated.

"Are you ready?" Sophia asked.

Before Fayt could answer, his nether regions felt familiarly uncomfortable. "I need to use your bathroom first." Fayt said, and Sophia rolled her eyes and nodded, opening the door.

After Fayt had finished, he exited to find Sophia waiting for him. She was lying on her bed, and looked kind of peaceful, so Fayt decided to wait a little. He looked around the room, the standard generic hotel room of the galaxy. He saw a wrapper hanging over the trashcan, and rolled his eyes.

"Jeez Sophia, you'd better watch what you eat, or you'll get tubby."

Unfortunately, Sophia happened to hear him. "Fayt…" Sophia said, warning him in that you-just-said-the-wrong-thing voice she had.

Fayt found out what she was warning him about when he nursed his head, thinking Sophia could have easily given him a concussion. "Jeez, not so hard. Sorry." Fayt apologized.

Sophia glared at him out of the corner of her eye.

Fayt grabbed her and spun her around, looking into her smoky gray eyes with his emerald ones. "I was joking, okay? I'm really, really sorry." He said sincerely.

Sophia's anger was extinguished. She just couldn't stay mad at him, no matter what. "Fine." She said, smiling at him.

Sophia grabbed Fayt's hand, as she always did. "Shall we?" She asked, mock courteously, before pulling quickly, tugging him towards the main hall.

"Okay, just yank my arm off!!!" Fayt protested, but he smiled. It looked like he wasn't going to be given the silent treatment after all.

* * *

Fayt and Sophia had walked around a good portion of the hotel, had accidentally gone into a few rooms (the occupants didn't really mind, Hyda IV was a peaceful planet), and generally talked and laughed.

They made their way out to the beach, so that (in Sophia's words) Fayt could look at the outside world for once, not the virtual. They made their way down to the ocean, where they would fine Fayt's parents.

Fayt's relationship with his parents was not unlike most teenagers. It was strained at times, and Fayt always felt overshadowed by both of them. After all, when your parents are the leading researchers in the cutting edge field of symbological genetics, you'd be a bit intimidated. Fayt liked symbological genetics, which he took in college, but he would never be good as his parents. He wanted to carve his own path. He just needed to find out what that path was.

Before they made their way to his parents, however, a pretty girl, older than Fayt by a few years, clad in a skimpy blue bathing suit intercepted Fayt. "Well, hello there cutie!" She breathed flirtatiously, batting her eyelids at Fayt, who definitely looked uncomfortable.

Sophia's eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer to Fayt. The girl looked curious and slightly annoyed by Sophia's presence. "Who's this?" She asked, taking a step forward. "Is she like your sister or something?"

Fayt wondered exactly how they could be siblings if they looked nothing alike. The girl looked at him expectantly, along with Sophia. Fayt found himself very, very uncomfortable. He toyed with the idea of saying she was his sister or that he didn't know her, but squashed it. That girl would only leave him alone if he were already taken. But then-

Fayt felt horrified by his idea, but decided that facing Sophia was better than this girl. "Isn't she cute? She's my girlfriend." Fayt stated, trying to look away from Sophia and at the girl.

The girl looked disappointed, and groaned aloud. "Just when I find a cute boy who might be my type, he's already taken! Just my luck!" She walked off, annoyance visible in every step.

"Hey, Sophia…" Fayt said, turning towards the chestnut haired girl, who was blushing. "I'm sorry about putting you in that kind of a position. But she wouldn't leave me alone unless-"

"Its fine! Its not like I'm totally repulsed by you or anything…" Sophia said, looking at him. She didn't blame the girl for going after Fayt. Thanks to his athleticism and his constant gaming, he had a slender, but muscular build, and he really was nice, and he did look out for her a lot when they were kids. What more could a girl want?

The uncomfortable pause lasted a little longer, until Fayt caught sight of a familiar head of blue hair. "Hey! There they are!" Fayt said, trying not to sound too eager to end the uncomfortable conversation.

Sophia nodded, and together, they walked in silence towards Fayt's parents.

After a quick, yet tense conversation with his parents, with his mother scolding him for leaving Sophia alone to swim, and his father's exasperation at his constant gaming, Fayt was feeling slightly annoyed. Still, he walked off without any biting comments, and together he and Sophia made their way back to the hotel.

They explored a bit more, with Fayt looking longingly (but secretly, lest Sophia get angry with him, again) at the gaming machines. However, after a little more exploring, they discovered something.

They were slightly lost, however, and decided to try to find their way back.

Turned out to be a mistake, as they went in circles. Finally, Fayt agreed (i.e. Sophia forced him to) with Sophia to ask someone for directions.

They knocked on the door, and opened it, about to ask for directions, when a young girl jumped in front of them. She looked at them with a mix of curiosity and alarm in her cobalt eyes. Her hair was a pale blonde, almost white, and she seemed quite small, as she looked like she was a young teen. "Whaaat? Who are you? This is the Rossettis' dressing room! Hmm? Oh, I know! You want my autograph, don't you! Ah well, gotta keep the fans happy… Usually, I'd be pretty mad if someone just came barging in like that, but you're so cute I'll make an exception this time."

Fayt and Sophia blinked. How did one tiny body have enough air storage to talk so fast and so much in one breath? And… who were the Rossetis? And why was this girl trying to give them an autograph?

Fayt decided that asking a question might help the mounting confusion in his brain. "Ah… Umm…" Fayt said, looking around in confusion for a moment, grasping for something to say. Finally, he caught onto the first question in his maelstrom of thoughts. "You said the Rossettis?"

"What? You didn't know our troupe's name? Don't go forgetting it, now! Say, what's your name?" She asked, and Fayt was thankful he could understand her this time.

"Fayt… But…" Fayt said, about to explain that they just wanted directions when Sophia cut in.

"I'm Sophia."

"Right." The girl nodded, and, before Fayt could explain, she went behind him and grabbed a black marker.

"To…my…darling…Fayt… From the Fairy of Illusions, Peppita Rosetti… All done!"

The lively girl finished writing on Fayt. Sophia, curious, looked over at Fayt's back. "What the!?" She said, caught between shock and amusement.

Fayt, glancing back, caught sight of a flash of black, and protested. "Ah… Hey! You can't just draw on somebody's shirt!" _Especially not mine! _He added mentally.

"Huh? What? I thought you wanted my autograph!" The girl said, puzzled.

Sophia now definitely looked amused. "Nobody said anything about wanting an autograph!" Sophia said, giggling at Fayt's indignation.

"Huuuuh!? But…I mean…wha--!? But I thought… Then…you want my mama's autograph? Or…my papa's? You can't want Gonnella the Clown's autograph, or Ursus the Strongman's…right?" The little girl said, looking up at them curiously.

The same thought was running through both Fayt and Sophia's heads. _Who?_

"No, we're not really looking for anyone's autograph…" Fayt said, scratching his head, unsure of how the little girl kept jumping to different conclusions.

"Huh! Well, what then…are you a salesman!? Nah… Come to hink of it, you look like the kinda guy who's never done an honest

day's work in his life." The girl said matter-of-factly.

Fayt had an irrational urge to strangle this annoying little girl, but he resisted anything, even the biting, scathing remarks that were begging to leave his mouth. He also had to resist the beginnings of a headache, courtesy of the little girl.

Suddenly the girl's eyes widened in shock and horror. "I know! You're here to collect on a loan! You're too early! That loan's good until next month, they promised!!!"

"No, no!" Fayt said quickly, deciding to try and get some clue as to what was going on. "Who are the Rossettis, anyway? And what's with this 'Fairy of Illusion' stuff?" He tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice when he said 'Fairy of Illusion'.

The little girl looked slightly embarrassed. "Hmmmmmm…okay, sooo, umm… You two are just lost!?

"Well, we got kind of lost, but …" Fayt began, but the little girl gasped.

The little girl took a step back, eyes widening once more in horror. "Oh no! You're robbers!"

Fayt's eyes widened, and he quickly managed to reassure her that they weren't.

"Then what are you!? You're not one of my fans, you're not here to collect on our loan, you're not lost… So what do you think you're doing barging into our room like this!?" The little girl demanded.

"Um, I'm sorry for barging into your room. We were just taking a little walk, checking out the place and we got kind of lost, and we needed directions…" Fayt apologized, turning towards his companion. "Isn't that right, Sophia?"

Sophia, who knew Fayt was probably resisting the urge to either strangle the little girl or get some headache relief, agreed. .

"You got lost?" The little girl asked curiously.

"Yeah."

"Barging into people's rooms without knocking is rude!' That's for burglars, or lost kids, or stalkers, or groupies…" The little girl said indignantly.

"Uh…okay. Then… we'll just go." The emerald eyed boy apologized.

"Let's get out of here, Fayt." Sophia said, knowing that her best friend probably had a migraine by now.

"Good idea." Fayt muttered. _Why the hell didn't I think of that?_ He asked himself sarcastically.

"So you _were_ lost. That explains it. And I thought you were my very first fan… Ah well, it's not like I've performed yet. So, it did seem a little strange." The little girl said, rubbing her chin.

"You're a performer?" Fayt asked, remembering what she said earlier. He nearly smacked himself. _Why didn't you just leave you idiot!_

"That's right. We're the Rossetti Troupe, and we bring you a fleeting vision of the future! I'm your fairy guide, Peppita Rossetti." Peppita said, bowing and smiling.

Fayt and Sophia blinked. _And in Terran that means…_

Peppita rolled her eyes. "Well, if you want to hear it in plain Terran, we're a circus troupe, and I am sort of the host."

"Oh… So this shirt with your signature's going to be worth something?" Fayt said, trying to humor the girl.

The pale blond haired girl nodded, pleased. "Of course! It's the first autograph I ever signed!"

"The first!?" Fayt said, trying to sound incredulous.

Sophia resisted the urge to giggle. Fayt desperately wanted to leave, but he was also humoring the little girl.

"Tomorrow's my debut. In six months, why, you could buy a whole planet with that shirt!" Peppita said matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah? Amazing. An entire planet. I guess I'll have to take good care of it." Fayt said, trying and almost succeeding to keep sarcasm out of his voice, while ignoring Sophia's silent giggles.

Peppita managed to catch some of the sarcasm. "Hey… You don't believe me!?" Peppita said, cobalt eyes narrowing.

"No, I believe you. I'm sure you'll be dynamite on the stage." Fayt put his hands up in a peace offering, grinning at her, to appease her.

The blond giggled. "Thanks! I'm in a good mood, so I'll give this little present to you, my first fan!" Peppita said, sounding extremely generous.

"Huh… A ticket?" Fayt said, scratching his head in puzzlement.

"Yeah, our show's tomorrow! You'd better not miss it! After you see us do our thing, you'll want to treasure that autograph for the rest of your life!" Peppita said, nodding, her tone confident.

"Gee, thanks. I'm looking forward to the show." Fayt said, this time controlling his sarcasm.

"Great! See you later, Fayt!" Peppita called out as the two of them left the room.

* * *

Sophia finally gave in to the laughter coursing through her veins as they managed to get a distance away from Peppita and the Rosettis. As she laughed, leaning against the wall heavily for support, Fayt mock glared at her.

"I suppose you found that one hilarious." Fayt said, rolling his eyes.

Sophia giggled. "Of course I did. That definitely makes up for you leaving me at the beach."

"I think I have a migraine." Fayt muttered, rubbing his temples.

Sophia grinned at him. "I can't believe how confident that little girl sounds." She said, looking back down the hallway.

"Yeah. Maybe she will do great." Fayt said, remembering the ticket in his pocket.

"You know what Fayt?" Sophia said, moving away from the wall, "We should actually check that out."

Fayt's eyes widened. "You think we should?" Fayt asked.

"Sure!" Sophia said, smiling at him.

"Well, alright." Fayt said.

It was too bad they would never get see the show.

* * *

Eventually, Fayt and Sophia's wanderings took them back to the game room.

Fayt glanced at the combat simulator longingly, a plan forming in his head.

_I just remembered this hotel has one of those new combat simulator games. We have some free time, so maybe I should try to get Sophia to play a game or two with me, _he thought.

Sophia noticed where they were headed and rolled her eyes. "Games again? But you were just playing! Keep playing games all the time like that and you'll turn into a brainless muscleman!" Sophia said, giggling when she imagined a hulking, bulked up version of Fayt Leingod.

"Why don't you give it a try, Sophia? It's really fun." Fayt said persuasively.

Sophia glanced at it warily. "But isn't this one of those combat simulators? Don't you have to fight? No can do… I don't like these kinds of games." Sophia said, sounding half-afraid.

_She really is a gentle girl, _Fayt remembered, right down to how much she valued life. Of course, some people thought that was weakness, and tried to pick on her.

Tried being the key word. Fayt, as her best friend, doubled as her protector from bullies.

Sophia, years ago, called Fayt her knight, the way he always championed for her and fought some of her battles for her.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you." Fayt said reassuringly, grinning at her, reminding her of how he always had protected her before.

_Still…_ Sophia thought to herself, trying to back out of it. "But…" She protested, but Fayt cut her off.

"I'd never let you do anything dangerous. I promise. C'mon, try it! Just once. For me?" Fayt pleaded, reassuring her with her eyes that he'd protect her.

Sophia didn't really want to refuse, and Fayt hadn't let her down before when she was in trouble… "Well… Okay. If you say so… I guess I could give it a try." Sophia answered slowly.

"Then it's settled. Let's start at an easy level since you're a beginner." Fayt grinned, turning towards the console to ready the game.

He looked over his shoulder at the chestnut haired girl. "You'd prefer a character that uses symbology from a distance rather than one that fights up front, right?"

Sophia nodded. She did like symbology, although she wasn't prodigious in it as Fayt's parents were. "Yeah… Well… It won't hurt, will it?" Sophia asked again.

Fayt gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Beginner's level doesn't hurt at all, really." His voice and tone were soft, but firm.

"Okay… I'll give it a try," Sophia said firmly, steeling her nerve.

Fayt finished programming the console. "All right then, we're about ready."

Sophia still seemed hesitant and Fayt grinned at her, grasping her hand. She smiled at him.

The two of them ventured inside, with Fayt holding Sophia's hand reassuringly.

* * *

The two of them went into the non-descript room, the standard look of all virtual simulators.

"Welcome to the Battle Simulator. Please set Battle System parameters." The computer prompted.

Fayt looked at his best friend. "What do you wanna do, Sophia? Let's start from the beginning… You want to take a look at the instructions?" He asked.

Sophia looked lost. "I dunno… Should I?"

Fayt nodded at her. "You probably should. Otherwise it won't be much fun."

"Okay, I will. Computer, instructions."

The computer quickly rambled on about the various parameters and safety measures and all the other boring stuff Fayt had heard thousands of times, so he just zoned out. Finally, the computer stopped, and Fayt grinned.

"All right, let's play." Fayt turned towards Sophia and gave her a reassuring look.

"Computer, start."

"Player 1: Fayt Leingod. Character: Sword Master Heero Yuy. User level: AAA." The computer droned monotonously, "Player 2: Sophia Esteed. Character: Flare Witch Relena Peacecraft. User level: E. Battlefield: Remote City of Listia. Monster level: E. Setup complete."

"Continue?" The computer prompted.

"Okay. We're ready."

"Preparing to commence. This Simulation System may abort a game if it detects that player safety is at risk." The computer reminded.

Fayt rolled his eyes, tapping his foot impatiently. "I already know that. Just start." He said, annoyed.

"Confirmed. Commencing game."

* * *

They appeared in the clearly virtual, but still realistic ruins of an ancient city. Fayt now had an impressive looking one-handed long sword, while Sophia had a staff, which helped her focus symbology.

"Relena Peacecraft?" Sophia asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

Fayt shrugged. "It was randomly generated. So was my characters name."

Before Sophia could respond, two jackal-headed, ebony skinned creatures appeared. Both held crescent shaped blades on their hands, and both wore headpieces and a skirt.

Sophia giggled at their skirts, while Fayt rolled his eyes.

"Let's go!" Fayt cried out, leaping for the two of them. He came at the first one with a lope, before swinging his sword up in a powerful blow that sent the creature flying into the air. Just as it fell from the apex of its forced jump, Fayt leapt into the air and flipped, holding his blade out, sending the demon into the air once more. As it fell to the earth, Fayt slashed it twice, finishing it off.

Sophia, meanwhile, fired off two bolts of fire, toasting the other creature, which squealed in pain before charging at her again. She fired a barrage of ice needles after that, which slashed into the creature, but it still kept coming, so Sophia had to leap back several times, before a well-timed slash from Fayt, which glowed blue sent the creature away from her. Sophia finished it off with another Fire Bolt, burning the creature, which howled with pain before disappearing.

The ancient city disappeared, and the simulation ended, leaving both teens sweating, though Sophia a lot less than Fayt. She wiped her hand over her forehead. "Sigh… That wore me out…" She breathed.

Fayt shot her a pleased grin. "But wasn't it fun?"

"Well, it wasn't too bad, I guess." Sophia said dismissively, but she did note that it was fun, and watching Fayt knock that monster away from her had been breathtaking…

Fayt decided not to push for another round. "What do you say we stop now and go get a bite to eat or something? You look pretty bushed."

Sophia looked slightly relieved. "Yeah, I'm beat." She said tiredly.

Fayt snorted. "You need more exercise!" He teased.

Sophia huffed and glowered at him. "Guess I'm just a fatty." She muttered.

The sapphire haired man quickly realized he made a mistake, and added, "No one's saying that." He looked for a way out of this mess, and quickly managed to say, "Hey! Let's go find my mom and dad."

Sophia agreed, and the two of them moved towards the exit.

However, just before they reached it, a loud rumbling, like an incoming earthquake or space ship launch rocked the building.

"What the hell!" Fayt swore, grabbing Sophia to hold her steady. She clung to him willingly, frightened.

"Level two tremor detected. The system will be temporarily deactivated for your safety. We apologize for any inconvenience." As if to answer his question, the computer responded.

"An earthquake?" Fayt muttered. _That's not possible! Hyda IV has no tectonic activity! _

As if to disprove his thoughts, a loud rumbling was heard once more. Sophia shrieked in fright, and Fayt instinctively pulled her closer.

"Holy-" Fayt didn't manage to complete the oath before an announcement interrupted him.

"This is an emergency alert. Hyda IV is currently under attack by unidentified spacecraft. All civilians should follow immediate evacuation instructions on the nearest console. I repeat: All civilians…" The voice sounded calm, but there was a tone of panic just beneath the surface.

"Computer! What's going on!" Fayt demanded.

"Remote Station #7, Hyda III, and Hyda IV are currently under attack by unidentified ships. Remote Station #7 has scrambled its own ships to mount a counterattack, but they are outnumbered and therefore unable to provide evacuation assistance to Hyda IV." The computer answered after a moment of gathering information.

"Oh hell," Fayt muttered. "Unidentified ships attacking? Show me!"

"Standby for video display."

Suddenly, a view screen appeared out of thin air, showing a blood red ship flying in mid-air. Just then, a building gave out a fiery explosion, sending an easily seen sphere of fire and concentrated air at the surrounding buildings, damaging them heavily.

"Holy shit…" Fayt whispered, while Sophia only looked on in horror and silence.

The announcer suddenly came back on. "As an emergency measure, all transporters have been directly linked to the Evacuation Terminal. Please commence evacuation by following the established route. I repeat: Please commence…"

Sophia was terrified now. In a trembling voice she whispered, "Fayt…"

Fayt, despite his own fear and nervousness, grinned at her. "Don't worry, Sophia. I'll stick with you."

"Th-thanks." She said, stuttered and managing a weak smile.

Fayt looked grim for a moment, before turning resolute. _I've never seen anything like those ships before. I hope mom and dad are okay. Well, whatever they are, first things first. We need to get the hell out of here._ He turned towards Sophia. "Let's go."

Sophia nodded, and the two of them got out. As they got out, Sophia asked breathlessly, "Hey, Fayt. I'm really worried about your mom and dad. Do you think they're okay?"

Fayt looked contemplative for a moment, caught between his own fear and the desire to reassure Sophia. The latter won. "I'm sure they'll be fine. They're smart enough to head down to the transporters too. "

Sophia smiled at him. "Yeah, they are."

As the two of them ran for it, a kiosk clerk came by, panicking. A moment later, a mother grabbed her child and took off for the transporters, with Fayt and Sophia trailing close behind. They ran into a short-haired employee who was ushering everyone calmly towards the transporters, obviously holding a mask of professional calm.

"Due to the state of emergency, all transporters have been redirected to send guests to a special floor, where a large transporter waits to take you to the Emergency Shelter. After the arrival of all guests at the shelter has been confirmed, the transport jammer located in the evacuation facility will be activated. Please evacuate in an orderly and speedy manner." The employee said with calm efficiency.

The two of them quickly managed to get into a transporter, and in a flash of light, they reached a new hallway.

As the two of them got out, Fayt caught sight of a familiar face. "Hey!"

Suddenly, Mr. and Mrs. Leingod managed to run up to them, obviously very relieved.

"Uncle Robert and Ryoko!" Sophia said in relief.

"I'm glad you're both here." Fayt's father said, nodding his head in relief.

"You too." Fayt said, nodding back.

Mrs. Leingod quickly embraced Sophia, looking almost tearful.

Fayt's mother looked concernedly at both teens. "What a relief. I was so worried." She whispered.

"What's going on, Dad? Is Aldian attacking?" Fayt asked, remembering the opposing factions who were currently at war with the Federation.

Fayt's father rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Probably not. From the looks of their weapons, it's most likely…" He trailed off, obviously unsure what to say.

Fayt raised a questioning eyebrow. "Most likely…what?"

Mr. Leingod quickly waved his hand dismissively, as if to knock the question aside. "Never mind—we must get out of here. Let's go." He said quickly.

Fayt looked suspicious, but followed the others as they headed down to the transporter.

One man stopped them, wearing the gray uniform of a Federation soldier. "Please wait here." He said, raising his hand.

"Is something wrong?" Robert asked.

As a second soldier went behind him, the soldier shook his head. "There's a long line to use the transporter up ahead. You'll have to wait your turn here."

Robert nodded reluctantly, looking over at his family and Sophia. "I see. We'll wait, then."

Just then, however, alarms blared and another, smaller explosion rocked the area. The second soldier swore. "How in the hell did they get in this far!" He turned towards the group. "Get going! Keep moving forward!!!" He yelled.

Sophia turned towards Fayt, looking scared again. "Let's get out of here!!!"

Fayt agreed with her sentiment, and they moved to leave, but before they could, three guys with strange blue clothing similar to trench coats and white faces that looked like a shark mask stepped onto the area. They looked like sharks, with predatory grace and a muscular, tall build, and the crimson rifles they held did not diminish the image. "Here they are!" One of them shouted, pointing at Fayt's group.

One of the soldiers raised his rifle. "Run for it!" He barked. The group took off, but it wasn't fast enough.

The enemy soldiers were a bit smarter or more accurate, firing off their shots quickly, demolishing the two soldiers, who dropped like rocks with smoking holes in them.

Ryoko looked towards her husband, concerned, glancing back at Fayt and Sophia. "Robert…" She said.

Robert nodded at his wife, also glancing at his son and Sophia. "Yes—as I suspected." He said wearily, turning towards his son. _I feared this might happen. _

Fayt looked concerned and suspicious. "Dad?" He asked warily.

Both his parents looked at him, as if trying to memorize his features, as if it would be the last time they ever saw each other. "Run you two!" His father yelled.

"Uncle Robert!" Sophia gasped.

"Just get out of here!" Robert Leingod barked out angrily.

"But-" Fayt protested, but his mother cut him off.

"Get moving now! You have to protect her!" She said imploringly, looking at Sophia and Fayt. "Make sure you survive!"

Mr. Leingod nodded firmly. "That's right. Now hurry. Don't worry about us!"

A moment of silence overcame the group, despite the enemy soldiers barreling towards them. Robert spoke up. "It's all right. We'll be at the Evacuation Facility soon." He said reassuringly.

Fayt looked at his father with wide, demanding eyes. "Promise, Dad?" He whispered.

"Promise!" Robert Leingod barked, and along with his wife, they turned to face the enemy.

"Let's go, Sophia!" Fayt said hoarsely, tugging on her arm.

Sophia cast a glance at the people who had been like an Aunt and Uncle to her for what seemed like forever, and bowed, before turning back to Fayt. "Okay!" She nodded.

The soldiers seemed to notice their departure. "They're getting away! Use the incapacitator!" The same soldier who spoke before barked out quickly, and two spider-like walker robots, obviously the Incapacitators, tore off towards Sophia and Fayt.

Fayt swore again, and grabbed a metal pipe with a fragile half off the wall, breaking it in half, giving the more fragile piece to Sophia. "Let's take 'em." Fayt snarled, a feral look on his face.

The two of them ran at the Incapacitators, metal pipes raised up high. Fayt, remembering how he fought in the games, used the same upwards slash he had used just minutes before. The robot flinched, its underside dented and sparking. Fayt smashed it twice more in the 'eye' like section of its top, before it collapsed, twitching before going dark.

Sophia, not being as physically strong as Fayt, had only dealt minor dents to the robot, which fired several stun beams at her. She took one to the arm and flinched at the shock, but smashed it in the eye, damaging it. As Fayt ran over, the two of them quickly finished it off.

However, three more ran towards them, and quickly surrounded them, but didn't use their beam weapons yet.

"Dammit!" Fayt swore, pulling the chestnut haired girl behind him protectively.

"I'm scared." Sophia whispered.

"Don't worry. Just stay behind me." Fayt whispered reassuringly, holding the metal pipe as he did the sword in his game. If this were like his video games, he would have easily destroyed them…

"O-okay." Sophia managed, but looked hesitant to simply hide behind Fayt.

_What in the hell are we going to do? There's too damn many of them… _Fayt thought to himself, before a miracle occurred in the form of all three Incapacitators exploding quickly in succession.

"Who the-" Fayt managed, before a concerned voice rang out.

"Hey Fayt, Sophia. You okay? You hurt?" A familiar, if more serious and concerned voice asked.

"Is that-" Sophia said, eyes widening.

Fayt, despite his annoyance in his previous encounter with the little girl, was glad for the save. "Thanks Peppita." He said gratefully.

"I came to check out what the racket was about and found you guys in trouble…" Peppita said, looking at the wreckage of the Incapacitators.

Suddenly, a large man with a brown beard and kind eyes lumbered towards them, wearing a costume, looking concernedly at Peppita. "Lil' lady!" He said quickly.

Peppita looked at the man, rolling her eyes. "Whatdaya want Ursus…" She began, before she noticed what was behind him. "What the-!?"

Three more of the spider-walkers ran up to them, glowing red eyes blinking.

"Man! This is NOT what we need right now." Peppita said, rolling her eyes. She pointed at one of them. "Ursus, take care of that one! Let's go, you two!"

Although Fayt was generally opposed to following little girls into battle, especially since he didn't think such a small, delicate looking girl could-

His train of thoughts was interrupted when said little girl smashed in the robotic eye of one of the robots with a spin move. "Holy shit!" He whispered, before his shoulder got slashed by one of the burning crimson stun beams of the robot.

After that, he and Sophia double-teamed the remaining of the robots, sending it back to robot hell.

"Well, that was-" Fayt began, but three more Incapacitators slipped past Ursus and charged the trio.

"There's more!?" Peppita groaned, before charging back into the fray.

This time, Fayt wasn't distracted (just barely) by the acrobatics of the twelve-year old girl who easily avoided the red beams and hammered away with incredible strength and agility at one robot.

Fayt avoided one beam, the burn on his arm still fresh, before he managed to deal a massive overhand blow to the robot, followed up by a powerful kick to its eye, shattering it. Fayt finished it with a sound smash to the side.

Sophia, obviously starting to get the hang of combat, dealt several smashes to the robot before it collapsed. "I did it…wow…" Sophia whispered, looking at the pile of junk she had created.

"Phew… Piece of cake!" Peppita said, wiping her brow with her hand.

"How did you… never mind." Fayt said, grinning. "Thanks for the help."

"No problemo!" The blond said, grinning at him before going serious. "But we should get outta here. There'll be more of

those things coming! It's already a complete disaster over that way." She added, looking away, missing Fayt's horrified expression.

However, both Sophia and Fayt were too horrified to move.

"C'mon, let's get outta here!" She motioned with her hands, waving towards the exit once she noticed they weren't moving.

"A complete disaster… But, my parents!" Fayt cried out in horror, turning quickly and moving back towards the area they had just left. There was a firestorm down there, a firewall keeping him from his parents.

However, Sophia, being able to keep her head under fire, stepped in front of him. "Hey, wait a sec! Fayt!? Forget it!" Sophia protested, meeting his wild gaze with her calm one. "Didn't you hear Peppita? It's too dangerous back that way!"

"But-" Fayt said helplessly, looking back where he had last seen his parents. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, leaving his parents just beyond his sight, beyond his reach. The only thing he could see were mocking flames.

But Sophia would have none of it. "Forget it!"

Peppita glanced back at the two, having turned back earlier. "Come on you two! I already said it was too dangerous!" She called out.

Sophia looked pleadingly at the young girl. "Please stop him! He says he's going back!"

The blond looked shocked. "What? Back…there!?" She cried out incredulously.

Fayt turned towards her, protesting quickly, "My mom and dad are back there! I have to go help them!"

But Peppita, like Sophia, knew it was hopeless. "No."

"Outta my way!!!" Fayt yelled, trying to dash back there, but the girls held him back.

"Didn't you hear me? It's an inferno back there!" The blond said.

"It's way too dangerous!" Sophia added.

"C'mon you two, out of my way!" Fayt growled threateningly.

Peppita picked up on it, and lost her temper. "Ohhh, that's it! Ursus?" She called out.

The strong man grabbed the young man and hoisted him up like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, bearing him to the exit.

"Let go of me, damnit! My parents are back there!" Fayt yelled desperately, "Mom! Dad!"

Peppita met his fierce gaze, a firm look in her eyes. "Look, we'll all die if we don't get out of here, now!"

Sophia and Peppita ran down the hallway, with Ursus and his unwilling passenger following. They reached the transporter and dashed inside as a group, before disappearing in a flash of light.

As they left Hyda IV, Fayt caught one last glimpse of the inferno he had last seen his parents in, and cried out in frustration and anger, which echoed like a ghost's cry as he disappeared.

* * *

AN: I don't own the names Heero Yuy or Relena Peacecraft, but I did want a nod to one of my favorite anime instead of some random names. Sophia is one of the three girls. The others won't show up till later. And yes, you will have to guess. Opinions on which girl Fayt should end up with are always welcome! The next chapter might take a while, as I'm juggling this and a bunch of other projects. Thanks for reading and please review!


	2. Chapter 2 Separation Anxiety

Disclaimer- I don't own Star Ocean. It is the property of the great Square-Enix and Tri-Ace.

* * *

Chapter 2 Separation Anxiety

When the light disappeared, Peppita, Sophia, and Ursus with the unwilling Fayt on his back arrived at the shelter. There, a Federation Soldier stood, waiting for them. He nodded and greeted them. "Welcome to Iruba Shelter 5. This is an evacuation shelter located underneath Hyda IV. Please wait in your assigned rooms until the rescue ship arrives. You are allowed to move freely about the facility, but there are some restricted areas. Please refer to the consoles or ask the nearest official for detailed instructions." It was said flatly and without inflection, as if he was bored. Which he probably was.

Ursus put Fayt back down, and although Fayt huffed in annoyance at being dragged into the teleporter, he nodded in acknowledgement, knowing that the transporter could not take him back. He set down the metal pipe he had used in combat, Sophia having already left hers behind.

Peppita seemed uncomfortable with what she had done, and without looking at Fayt, she responded to the guard, "All right, then…" She trailed off, silence falling, before she added, "Well, we're going now."

The uncomfortable silence could have been thunder, for the disbelief and shock that numbed Fayt's every pore. _My parents… they were… still back there… _

Peppita looked at him for the first time since they arrived and placed a grin on her face born of her love of the stage, "Hey…cheer up!" She said in a tone that sounded fake and hollow to everyone's ears, even her own.

Ursus tapped her shoulder and nodded at her, and the two of them left, walking in silence, leaving a numb Fayt and a concerned Sophia behind.

Sopiha turned and looked at Fayt worriedly. "Fayt…"

"…Shall we go? There's nothing left to do here, anyway." Fayt said quietly. Although he couldn't help it, there was a choking tightness in his throat and a bitter tone in his voice when he spoke, and tears threatened to shove their way past his defenses and let his feelings out.

"Uh, yeah." Sophia agreed, swallowing the question of whether Fayt was alright down her throat that was parched with fear. "I'm sure your parents are okay. Don't worry…" She said comfortingly, patting his arm.

Fayt didn't seem to notice, and began to move forward. "…Yeah, I know. Let's go."

As the two headed out, a soldier stepped near them and raised his hand for them to stop, but didn't look hostile.

"Oh, one second, please. You've been assigned to room 506. Remember that." He said, a slight flush from his mistake on his cheeks.

Fayt nodded numbly. "Okay. 506, got it."

The soldier seemed to think that Fayt was afraid of being killed. "I expect the rescue transports will be here soon. Please try to relax and wait." He said reassuringly.

Fayt didn't seem to hear him, but Sophia took his hand and nodded at the soldier. "Okay."

The two of them walked out, and Sophia led a distant Fayt around the base, before a familiar voice inside one room caused Sophia, and by proxy Fayt, to stop. Sophia opened the door and peeked in, with an uncertain Fayt behind her.

Inside a man in a ringmaster's costume stood, looking at the assembled group with his back to the door. Two of those he addressed were Peppita and Ursus. "The Rosettis?" Sophia muttered.

"I'm just glad that everyone is okay. Alright, time to discuss our business plans…" The ringmaster said, before noticing Peppita's stare to the door. He turned, and looked at them curiously. "Hmm?"

"Fayt?" Peppita said uncertainly.

"What brings you hear young ones? The two of you look like you have a tale to tell, and Peppita told us some of your story. Would you like to sit down?" The ringmaster asked.

Sophia nodded and led a distracted Fayt to an empty bed, where they sat and began their tale…

* * *

The ringmaster, known as Piccolotto, and who was also Peppita's father, nodded compassionately. "Ahhh, your parents…" He muttered, understanding dawning on his features.

The clown, Gonnella, looked bewildered. "Ah well, what can you do, hey? Hey, at least you're still alive, eh?" He said jokingly.

Peppita glared at him. "Gonnella! You should really watch your tongue!" She chastised harshly.

Fayt, who had fought of the numbness while he told the tale, shook his head. "No, it's okay. It's just like he said. Even if I went to help them, I wouldn't have been able to do anything…" Fayt said bitterly, "If only I was a little stronger…" There was a wistful tone in his voice that Sophia had rarely heard before.

"Fayt…" Sophia said softly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Ursus shook his head. "Strength, it's not enough. You can't beat them." He rumbled sagely.

Peppita's mother, Dulcinea, added, "He's right. It's not your fault. I bet they were professional soldiers… There's nothing we can do against people like that."

Piccolotto nodded at the good advice, and gave his own. "And, you know… Just because they didn't make it to this evacuation facility doesn't mean your parents are dead. You know, they might be hiding out somewhere. Don't give up so soon."

Fayt nodded, knowing how smart his parents were. They were definitely smart enough to keep their cool.

"Or, they might've been captured or something, eh." Gonnella chipped in.

"Gonnella!" Peppita scolded.

Ursus placed a hand on Peppita's shoulder. "It's all right. If they've been captured, then you can go rescue them." He said comfortingly, smiling at Fayt and Sophia.

Piccolotto took the final say. "Anyway, you'll just have to wait a little longer. What could you possibly do right now? We don't even know what's going on."

Fayt took the arguments to heart, and nodded wearily. "Yeah… You're right." The last few hours had finally caught up to him.

Dulcinea looked at them concernedly. "Why don't you go to your room and rest a bit? You're too tired to do anything right now."

"Or ya could just rest here with us. Wouldn't you feel safer here with everyone?" Peppita suggested, looking at Fayt.

Fayt felt touched by the Rosseti's and Peppita's offer, but he needed to mull things over alone. "Thank you, but I'm fine. I want to think things over, anyway." He said, offering a tired smile.

Peppita looked disappointed. "Uh, okay."

Fayt and Sophia bowed to Peppita and the Rosettis and left the room. They wandered around a bit more, each lost in their own thoughts, until Fayt and Sophia encountered Peppita sitting at the edge of the metal stairs leading down to the generators, her faithful protector Ursus standing next to her.

"Peppita?" Fayt asked.

Peppita looked up, startled. "Fayt!" Then her look turned sad and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"What's wrong?" Sophia asked concernedly.

Peppita looked up, cuffing her foot on the steps nervously. "Fayt… did I do the right thing back there? Are you mad that I didn't let you go after your parents?" She asked, guilt seeping from her every word, as well as some hidden pain.

Fayt shook his head. "You did the right thing Peppita. I was being foolish by going back there. I'm no good to anyone if I'm dead." He smiled reassuringly at Peppita, who brightened up at hearing this.

As they said their good-byes, Fayt noticed Sophia giving him a particularly proud look. "What is it?" Fayt asked.

"That was very kind of you Fayt." Sophia said, smiling.

Fayt blushed lightly and rubbed his head, looking down. "It was nothing. And she really did do the right thing."

Sophia just kept on smiling, and the two of them continued on.

Soon, Fayt and Sophia had found Room 506, and went inside, finding the room unoccupied. "It looks like it's just us." Fayt said amusedly.

Sophia yawned, and weariness seemed to cover her features.

"Sophia? You okay?" Fayt asked concernedly. Sophia was the last tie to his normal life, and his best and oldest friend. He'd be damned if he lost her too.

"Yeah… I think." She said quietly, but her loud yawn easily defeated her weak argument.

"You're exhausted. You should rest."

Sophia nodded without protest, and let Fayt lead her to the bed. Sophia climbed into the bed blindly and pulled the sheets over her, settling herself down in the bed.

"Sorry to be a burden," She mumbled.

"Don't worry about it." Fayt said dismissively.

Although Sophia had felt tired before, now she felt scared, alone in an unknown environment, except for "Fayt?".

Fayt looked at her concernedly. "What is it?"

Sophia blushed a little and whispered, "Will you stay here until I fall asleep? I don't want to be alone." She seemed almost ashamed of asking Fayt to stay.

"Sure, I'll stay. Just relax and go to sleep." Fayt smiled, and pulled up a chair, and sat in it, watching her.

"Thanks." Sophia whispered gratefully, and closed her eyes, settling into the bed, soon drifting off to sleep, secure in the knowledge that Fayt was watching over her.

"Good night…" Fayt whispered, finding a sudden urge to kiss her on the head. He shrugged it off as more confusion from the day, and climbed into his own bed, not bothering to change and quickly being pulled into the blissful oblivion of a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Fayt woke up in the middle of the night, sudden but peacefully, as if he had just been gently shaken awake as he had been when he was a child.

He looked around, expecting to see the bland hotel room, but instead he found a cold, dark metal room, glancing at the sleeping Sophia next to him.

_Where am I? …_ He wondered. The events of the last twenty-four hours flashed within his mind in a blur and mix of memories. He blinked back the flash of pain when he thought of his lost parents, and glanced at the darkened clock on the wall. "…It's 03:52 AM. Still so early." He mumbled to himself.

He lay back down, and for a few minutes trying to fall back asleep, before he gave up. He glanced at Sophia, who still remained securely within her dreams, looking peaceful.

At least before an alarm shrieked into the darkness, and lights snapped on in blood red, flooding the room with light and breaking the peace.

"What the hell!" Fayt swore, leaping out of bed in a flash. Beside him, Sophia mumbled incoherently and opened her eyes slowly. She looked frightened for a moment, before she spotted Fayt's familiar visage.

"Fayt… What's that sound?" She whispered.

Fayt turned towards the door, not looking at Sophia, but he answered her. "Sounds like they're going to make an announcement."

The darkened room lit up in a flash of bright light, illuminating it fully.

The slightly annoying jingle that told of an announcement rang out. "This is an update for all refugees. We now know the recent raid on the resort planet Hyda was a surprise attack by Vendeen."

Fayt flashed back to the times he had read a few articles in class. _Vendeen? Aren't they that military power that's currently at war with Aldian?_ Aldian was the Federation's enemy, not Vendeen._ They did turn down the Federation's offer of aid some time ago, but there were no open hostilities._ The new information did not settle his questions, but rather heightened his need to know what was going on.

Before he could mull over the rest of the information, the announcer continued.

"Remote Station 7 mounted an attempt to defend Hyda IV, but it was thwarted by a tactical Vendeeni strike. Currently, the Pangalactic Administration is scrambling ships from surrounding regions, but Vendeeni forces still have control of this sector. We request that all civilians begin boarding rescue shuttles for immediate evacuation to Remote Station 6. Please do not panic. Refer to the nearest console or attendant for further instructions."

"Sophia, we need to go. …You okay?" He asked, thinking she must be still tired.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little sleep helped me calm down." She reassured Fayt.

"Hold on just a little longer. We'll be safe once we reach Remote Station 6." Fayt said, hoping that his parents would be safe too.

Sophia agreed, and Fayt went over to the console of the computer, quickly typing in a few commands. Sophia walked over, rubbing her eyes and looking over his shoulder curiously.

"Computer. Tell me the present location of Robert and Ryoko Leingod." Fayt beseeched quietly.

The computer beeped for a moment, before responding. "The present location of the specified individuals is unknown."

"What do you mean 'unknown'?" Fayt demanded angrily, grabbing the computer. Sophia put a hand on his shoulder, softening his anger.

"Both Robert Leingod and Ryoko Leingod's positions were lost on Galactic Year 772-12141923." The computer chirped in its damned monotone voice, Fayt noted.

"Lost! What then?" Fayt whispered. "Answer me."

"The information system is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Confirmation is not possible at present." The computer beeped once, and fell silent once more.

"What? Damn it! Answer me!" Fayt demanded angrily. He grabbed the console and shook it, before collapsing against it helplessly, powerlessly. "Answer me…"

Sophia put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Fayt…" She soothed, "We should get going."

Fayt nodded, regaining his composure. "Sure…" He said shakily. "We should see if Peppita and the Rossetis are ready to leave too."

Sophia nodded, and the two of them quickly ran over to the Rosseti's room. When they got there, they found the Rossetis in a state of disarray.

"Peppita! Come on! We need to get going!" Fayt urged, slightly panicked.

"You heard him!" Piccolotto said, "Come on!"

The group ran out in the direction of the teleporter room as others poured out of their rooms, a tide of bodies escaping the wave of destruction that would undoubtedly follow.

* * *

When the blinding light ceased, Fayt, Sophia, and the Rosseti troupe found themselves on a Federation ship. Another uniformed soldier waited for them, a forced smile on his face borne of crisis.

"Welcome to the Federation transport ship GFSS-12372 Helre." He greeted, a tense edge to his voice, before he smiled warmly. "You must have been through a lot. We will soon be departing for Remote Station 6. The observation bay is located directly through the corridor leading out of this room. Please wait there until we reach our destination. Gravitic warp will get us there shortly." He assured them, but there was an obvious tension by the way he looked.

Still, the group made their way into the observation bay calmly, at least as calmly as refugees attacked in the middle of the day could be. The observation bay was just as the rest of the ship, blandly metallic, with giant windows for observing and large amounts of slightly uncomfortable seats, all in uniform rows and with the same design. All in all, quite a featureless room, save for the giant computer that dominated the northern wall.

"So this is a Federation transport ship…" Fayt commented, "They leave a lot to be desired, don't they?" He added sardonically.

Sophia and Peppita giggled in response, and out of the corner of his eye, Fayt could have sworn he saw one of the Federation soldiers nod in agreement.

As they moved deeper into the observation bay, Sophia noticed that all the people were gathering in front of the computer.

"Hey, Fayt. What's that? They're all watching something."

Fayt, who had been looking out into space (literally), turned his head towards the northern wall. "Huh? You're right… What is that? Something on the monitor?"

"Let's take a look." Peppita said, and the group moved towards the monitor.

Perhaps it would have been best not to look at it. After all, seeing the planet where your parents might still be trapped on being bombarded by a ship mercilessly, could give you nightmares and haunt your waking moments for a long, long time.

"No...that...can't...be." Fayt whispered, his voice full of denial and disbelief.

"Fayt-" Sophia began, but another announcement cut her off.

"We are about to enter gravitic warp to escape the battle zone. I repeat: We are about to enter gravitic warp to escape the battle zone. All evacuees prepare for warp turbulence." The artificial, falsely cheery voice made Fayt want to break the computer into tiny little pieces. He also knew that even if his body was taken away from this place, his mind would dwell at Hyda IV for a long, long time.

* * *

Four hours later, Fayt found himself lightly dozing in one of the standard chairs, with Sophia napping on his shoulder. The events of the past few hours, heck, the past day were still draining on the teenagers. However, although it was nice and familiar having Sophia sleeping on his shoulder, it was killing him not to move it. Finally, he shifted ever so slightly, and Sophia gave a tiny yawn.

"Mmm… Fayt…?" Sophia said softly, sleepily.

Fayt felt a little guilty at waking his best friend up. "Oh, I woke you up. Sorry." He apologized in a soft tone, "Go back to sleep."

Sophia instead leaned back a bit, yawning. "No, it's all right. Where do you think we are now?"

"No clue," Fayt answered, "There haven't been any announcements yet."

Sophia stood up, stretching, her tank top pulling a little higher than her belly button, causing Fayt to blush for some reason for staring. "We should ask one of the crew." Sophia said, oblivious to Fayt looking aside in discomfort.

"Yeah, good idea." Fayt swallowed his discomfort and stepped with her, walking out of the observation bay. They entered a room that led up to the bridge, where an argument was brewing between an officer and a civilian.

"Hey, you. What's the big idea, letting the Vendeeni forces get this far? Maybe it happened during nap time on Remote Station 7?" The pretentious man sneered. He wore a vibrant colored shirt reminiscent of the old Hawaiian shirts, and had a graying and receding hairline.

"What an ass," Fayt muttered under his breath as he remembered the soldiers that died helping them escape. Sophia nodded, but said nothing.

"I'm sorry, but this particular incident is currently under investigation. We have no further comments at this time." The petty officer responded uncomfortably.

"What are you trying to pull? Do you have any idea who I am?" The man demanded.

Fayt decided enough was enough. "An arrogant asshole who doesn't know when to shut the HELL UP!" Fayt snapped furiously.

The rather portly man turned on his heel. "Stay out of this kid!" The man snarled, glaring at the blue haired teen, but Fayt didn't back down in the slightest.

"Not until you stop and remember that those soldiers died helping us!" Fayt shot back.

"I don't have time to waste with children," The man said disdainfully, and turned back to the petty officer in a huff. "Don't you play games with me! Bah! Talking to you is a waste of time. Get me the captain! I want to speak with the captain!" The man demanded.

Sophia grabbed Fayt's arm to restrain the blue-haired teen from ripping the man apart with his bare hands, and the Federation officer, heartened by Fayt's defiance, spoke firmly. "I'm afraid I can't do that. As long as the captain is the commanding officer aboard this ship, his orders are absolute. My orders from the captain state that I am not to allow civilians to enter any area but the lounge, for any reason." The petty officer said. "Now please sir, go back to the lounge."

"What? You blithering idiot! I'll remember you! I'll use my influence to get you canned the second I arrive on Remote Station 6!" The man blustered, but it was obvious that he was lying through his teeth.

"Be my guest." The petty officer replied smugly, before adding with a smirk, "Sir."

"Hmph! You'll regret this!" The man vowed, before turning with a scowl towards the two teens. "Get out of my sight!" He snarled, pushing forward.

Before Fayt could respond, and probably say something that would spark a fight, Sophia pulled Fayt aside and out of the way.

"Jerk." Fayt muttered under his breath.

* * *

On the bridge of the transport, Captain Volga, commander of the ship, would have been very grateful to his petty officer for avoiding any distractions, if he had known. "Navigator? Status report." He said briskly, slightly disturbed by the unexpected drop out of gravitic warp.

"Yes captain. We were cruising at warp 15 on course 231, mark 330 when the gravitic warp field collapsed and the computer detected an anomaly, forcing us to return to conventional space." The navigator replied, a tone of worry in her voice.

"Computer, what causes the ship's warp field to collapse?" The captain asked.

The artificial intelligence paused, making a few odd whirring and beeping sounds before replying, "There is not enough data to determine the cause."

Captain Volga rubbed his temple in frustration and sighed. Computers tried his patience at times like these. "All right. Even if you can't determine the cause, how about a theory?" He asked tiredly.

"Prior to the collapse, sensors detected a space-time disturbance. Our database does not contain any record of such a

disturbance, but there is a 77 probability it was the cause of the collapse." The computer theorized with all the life of a dead man.

"Space-time disturbance? Come to think of it, Vendeeni military technology is based on space-time manipulation." The captain voiced his thoughts out loud, remembering the stats he had received a few times on the reclusive Vendeen.

"That is not an established fact, but the Federation Institute of Technology has theorized this is the case." The computer beeped.

"So, it was likely a Vendeeni attack that stopped us, then." The captain paused worriedly. If the attack was enough to knock them out of gravitic warp, then-

As he was thinking, his thoughts were broken by his Navigator's sudden shout of, "Screen, on!"

Like massive, bulbous crimson whales, two Vendeen ships appeared on screen, weapons charged and ready to blast the Helre out of the proverbial sky.

Captain Volga swore, and yelled, "Divert all power to shields! Evasion course 291, mark 030!"

"Course entered!" The navigator replied hurriedly.

The captain sank into his seat. A transport ship against two Vendeen ships? This was hopeless.

* * *

Inside the observation bay, Fay was thinking along the same lines. _So that's a Vendeeni battleship? A rescue frigate's shields are no match for the likes of that!_

Sophia bit her lip worriedly. "Fayt…"

But before Fayt could say anything to help Sophia, a rough, masculine voice came on. "This is your Captain speaking. Our ship is currently under attack by a Vendeeni battleship. Our gravitic warp engine has already been disabled, which means escape is not an option. All power has been diverted to our shields to buy us some time, but I wanted you all to know: our chances are slim. I had hoped to transport you all the way to Remote Station 6, but it seems that is now beyond my power. All evacuees are requested to proceed to the ship's escape pods. Please remain calm and follow the instructions of the attendant nearest you as you board your pod.…" The captain paused, as if he was overcome with nerves, before adding softly, "Good luck to you all."

"We'd better-" Fayt began, before a massive crimson beam delivered a vicious blow to the Helre, causing the hull to shake violently under the impact.

Sophia gave a loud shriek and grabbed onto Fayt. "A direct hit?" Fayt mumbled to himself worriedly.

Around them, a symphony of panicked voices began to emerge.

"Let's get out of here!"

"Right behind you!"

"Ohhh! We're doomed…"

"W-w-whoa…! What will become of me… Ohh…"

Suddenly, a crew member appeared, motioning them to follow him. "To the pods everyone, hurry! They're located one level up in the hangar bay. Don't panic!" He said urgently, obviously agitated at the hopeless situation they were stuck in.

The crowd began running, and Fayt grabbed Sophia's hand and tugged her along with him. "We gotta go, Sophia." Fayt said quickly, breathlessly.

The brown haired girl nodded, and the two made their way upstairs to the escape pods.

"Good. The pod's still here!" Fayt said, noticing there was a small, ship-like pods left. "Get in quick. We're running out of time." the blue haired teen motioned his friend over to the escape pod.

Still, Sophia had her doubts, and the pressures of the situation and the thought of being separated from her friend caused her to hesitate. "Fayt… I'm scared."

Fayt smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry…"

"But…"

"A Federation ship will recover our pods in no time. I'll see you at Remote Station 6." He kept smiling as he reassured her, before adding in a firmer tone, "Now get going."

"…O-okay. You'll follow, right? Promise?" Sophia whispered, clutching Fayt's hand tightly.

"I promise." Fayt replied softly, before letting go and pushing her forward. Sophia cast one last look at Fayt, and he smiled at her again, and then she turned back and went inside the escape pod. Both parted believing they would encounter each other within just a few days.

Little did they know, it would be a long time before they ever saw each other again.

* * *

"This way, hurry! There's still a pod here!" A gray uniformed soldier motioned to the blue haired teen.

Fayt nodded gratefully and ran inside, quickly descending into the escape pod. Keying in the start up commands that all children are required to know in school, the computer beeped its confirmation.

"Activation complete… Ejection in 10 seconds."

As the escape pod was ejected from the Helre, another beam from the Vendeen ship blasted the Helre, causing a silent, but massive explosion in the abyss of space. Luckily for Fayt, his escape pod managed to clear the explosion just in time.

"Dear God..." Fayt whispered in horror at the drifting pieces of burning slag that was the remains of the Helre.

"Distress signal operational." The computer beeped, bringing Fayt back from his thoughts. "Searching for life-supporting planets… Planet found."

This managed to perk Fayt's interest to a degree. "Where?"

"Vanguard III, located approximately 0.5 light years from present location. Axial tilt of 35 degrees results in extreme seasonal

weather. Existence of humanoid life forms confirmed. The Federation has classified Vanguard III as an Underdeveloped Planet. Civilization level: approximately equivalent to 16th-century Earth. Would you like to review the Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Pact?" The computer prompted.

"Yes." Fayt replied, nodding slowly and easing himself into the relatively uncomfortable seats of the escape pod.

"The Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Pact was established in order to protect planets with developing civilizations. Contact with civilizations that have not reached a certain level of development is strictly prohibited by Federation law. This is due to the fact that contact with advanced civilizations has a high probability of greatly influencing the course of history on a less developed planet. All individuals and organizations belonging to the Pangalactic Federation are required to adhere to the tenets of this Pact, unless faced with a clear danger to life and limb. This Pact is one of the most important components of Pangalactic Federation law. It also serves as a guideline for civilization conduct in emergency situations. Violators will be tried by the Pangalactic Council."

Fayt nodded slowly, digesting the information. "How long till we get there?" He asked slowly.

"At out present speed of warp 6, arrival is estimated in 144 hours." The computer beeped.

"Are there any foreseeable problems in getting to Vanguard III? How's our energy reserves?"

"No foreseeable problems. An adequate supply of energy and food is on board."

The blue haired teen gave a low sigh, and nodded. "Okay. I guess I'll get some sleep. Notify me if anything happens." He ordered the computer, before closing his eyes.

"Affirmative." The computer responded almost sounding bored.

Within seconds, Fayt was plunged into the land of slumber... a small escape from the epic journey that he will undertake shortly.

* * *

"Entering Vanguard III's gravitational field. Prepare for entry turbulence." The computer droned out, jolting Fayt out of his slumber.

The young man yawned, before realizing what the computer stated, and grabbed on tight.

To the people of Vanguard III, it was like a shooting star fell from the sky, a burning metal orb that was bringing not just a young man to this backwater planet, but freedom.

"Here we go." Fayt muttered to himself, and stepped outside, immediately having to use his hand to shield himself from the system's sun. "So this is Vanguard III…" the green eyed man commented, eyes taking in the lush, verdant forest landscape. Before, the blue haired boy had yearned for adventure, yearned for some new journey that was reminiscent of the simulators he loved so much. Now that he was having an adventure, he was finding himself distracted by worry and doubt and fear.

_Since they haven't contacted me yet, I suppose it will be a few days before they come rescue me_, Fayt thought to himself, retrieving his Quad Scanner, an all purpose device that served as a translator, positioning device, homing beacon, and a communicator. _I better keep an eye out of danger. After all, this is an underdeveloped planet,_ he thought to himself.Eying it, he noticed immediately that there was a rapid blip about forty clicks away from his position.

_Hmm? My quad scanner's picking something up…moving at 40 klicks. Might be an animal… I hope it's not dangerous, _Fayt remembered the healed burn on his arm from the Incapacitator and glanced back at the ship, wishing desperately for a weapon, before he remembered his replicator.

Walking over to the console on the side of the ship, he briefly wondered what weapon he should create. Basic, low-level weapons could be created by Federation Military replicators on escape pods such as these, as well as other useful items for survival. "A sword would be a good match for this planet's level of development. I don't wanna get arrested for violating the UP3."

The machine whirred and whizzed, and then in a small flash of light, a basic one handed broadsword appeared, matching Fayt's strength and skill appropriately. _Luckily, I've gotten used to this kind of weapon in the battle simulators_, he thought wryly to himself, but the thought of battle simulators brought him home to thoughts about Sophia and his parents, erasing any cheer from his thoughts_. Not that I feel very lucky now. I sure hope I don't end up having to use this thing._

After swinging the sword to make sure it was right, Fayt checked his Quad Scanner, discovering the location of a village nearby. Deciding that circumstances would allow him to forgo the UP3, he made his way to the village.

Much of the day had passed for Fayt, who had journeyed through the woods, battling the various animals that lived on the planet along the way. Although he defeated them, his body ached after each consecutive battle, and the fact that he kept pushing it without rest did not help at all.

Finally, he reached the small rural village, which indeed was the equivalent of sixteenth century Earth. Giving a low, relived sigh, he began walking, but stopped suddenly, feeling dizzy and light-headed.

"Must...have...taken a lot out of me." He muttered brokenly, shaking his head in vain.

As Fayt took a step closer to the village, the aching weariness that was plaguing him and his protesting body finally overwhelmed him, and he fell onto the floor, unconscious.

* * *

Thanks to That Kid Crying In the Corner, Z.A.G., Lloyd (Irving) Aurion, Firedude328, mk1236, basteng, IceDragon2k, Krile, Pyschadelic Mushroom, and Bobboky for reviewing!

QA

That Kid Crying In the Corner- Probably going to keep this the way the game does it. There wasn't really anything I didn't like.

Z.A.G.- Yeah, I was expecting that to happen all the time in the game, but it never did, so I'll keep the Maria/Fayt thing open.

basteng- Well, that's what I'm planning to do for a while, but in the end, only one pairing will remain standing.

IceDragon2k- No Mirage/Fayt here, mainly because I'm fairly sure the game was gearing for Mirage/Cliff. Plus, three girls is enough for Fayt anyway... we're going to need a woman not in love with Fayt.

Krile- Thanks for that. And yeah, the Fayt/Maria ending shows their feelings, but you have to remember that there were other endings too (Fayt/Sophia, Fayt/Nel, etc.) Its all a matter of how you play the game.

Pyschadelic Mushroom- I'm trying to skip the long dialogue, but I do prefer to have the characters say something rather just giving a description.

AN: If Fayt seems to be acting differently than in the game, I'm putting my own spin on his character, since he should be a lot more moody seeing as how he was forced to leave his parents behind. Don't worry though, its just stress. He'll be back to how he acts in the game, more or less. Thanks for reading and please review!


	3. Chapter 3 Of Criminals And Klausians

Disclaimer- I don't own Star Ocean. It is the property of the great Square-Enix and Tri-Ace.

AN: Sorry about the delay. Various problems (school) make it hard to work on fics. If I got Norton's look wrong, please forgive me, as it has been a while since I played.

* * *

Chapter 3 Suspicion, Criminals, and Klausians

_Fire... blazing infernos as if sprung from the very pits of Hell flared in front of Fayt. _

_ "HELP!" Sophia shouted as the Vendeen closed in on her and Fayt's parents, raising their weapons, shark faces smirking in triumph. _

_ He ran towards the fire, but it was so hot, so painful, he just couldn't cross the crucible of Hellfire and torment... _

_One of the Vendeen locked eyes with Fayt and smirked wider, as it to say, "You failed." _

_"FAYT!" They screamed helplessly as the Vendeen prepared to fire. _

_ Fayt ran again, but it was so painful, he was too weak to walk through the fire... _

_ Three shots rang out, and then Sophia and his parents fell to the floor, dead, bleeding, gazing at Fayt with dead eyes. And all he could hear was his own tortured screams, the flames growing hotter and hotter, burning him in Purgatory. _

_As he screamed, he felt himself wholly consumed by the beast that was fire... _

* * *

And then he awoke to the blinding light of the sun. Wildly shaking his head from side to side, patting himself to make sure he was okay, Fayt whispered reassuringly, "It was just a dream."

_"HELP!"_

_ Pain, burning, agony..._

He shook his head again. "Get a grip..." Glancing at his surroundings, he realized he was on a rustic, old wooden bed, inside of a relatively primitive construct, which Fayt recalled was named a cabin back on Earth. Before the thoughts of his home world and his parents could overwhelm him, he tried to get a grip on the situation.

As he was thinking this, a small girl with bobbed, dark red hair almost like the color of blood- and then Fayt cut off that line of thinking again, and realized that the little girl was staring at him, holding a cup and a pitcher of something that Fayt's dry throat hoped was water. The second thing he noticed was that the little girl had particularly long ears, almost like the elves of mythology that he had studied in college.

"Who are you?" Fayt asked slowly, hoping his Quad Scanner was translating.

Instead of answering, and looking away from Fayt, the little girl dropped the tray on the table next to his bed. "I'll leave some water here, okay?" Before Fayt could respond, she scampered off, calling out "Niklas!"

After a moment, the little girl returned with a young boy, who was most likely Niklas, who stood seemingly unconsciously in front of the girl, in a protective manner. In a soft, yet strangely hesitant voice, he asked, "Are you all right? You were groaning in you sleep."

"I…think I'm fine, thanks. Were you the one who rescued me?"

Niklas shook his head. "No, I just carried you here. My sister…Meena," he explained, gesturing towards the little girl, "She insisted…"

"I see. So you were the one who rescued me." Fayt smiled at the little girl, who blushed and giggled slightly. "Thank you, Meena." A new thought broke through his slowly awakening mind. "Where am I?"

"In the village of Whipple," Niklas responded. "What is your name?"

After Fayt introduced himself to the pair, Niklas seemed... uncomfortable, and looked hesitantly at him. After a while, he asked tentatively, "Your clothes…and your ears… Are you one of Norton's men?"

Fayt blinked, and asked if Norton was a person, which Niklas immediately answered with a resounding and quite bitter "Yes."

"I don't really understand the situation here…" Fayt began, trailing off as Niklas' eyes, once slightly narrowed in vague suspicions was now wider and friendlier.

"You don't know Norton?" The long eared boy asked again, more questioning than before, and a hint of confusion layered in his tone.

Fayt shook his head, and asked, "Who is he?"

But Niklas seemed satisfied with the answer and passed the question off easily, stating that Fayt needed to recover his strength and eat. Although he protested, both Niklas and Meena were insistent on him staying, with the boy adding, "Please, rest. Don't worry, it is our way to help each other in times of trouble."

As Fayt quickly stumbled through apologies, again Niklas waved them off and left, asking Meena not to bother him. "He looks so young, but he seems so mature for his age…just like Sophia." The last words of his sentence spilled out from his mouth and immediately he felt a bitter spike of pain stab his heart.

"Fayt, tell me, where are you from? Why are your ears so round? Who's Sophia, huh? Tell me! Tell me!" Meena urged, chanting her words in her squeaky voice, breaking Fayt's depression like a ray of sunshine as he laughed, and began telling the little girl about himself.

* * *

Fayt, deciding to step out of the cabin in the afternoon, had briefly wondered where his sword went, and worried over if he would be rescued, but decided to check things out, specifically, to find information about the area and this Norton character. After a few hostile looks and accusing conversations with the villagers, Fayt happened upon the biggest house, which turned out to be the village chief's.

"I am sorry they are treating you so brusquely, but you must understand our situation." The elderly man apologized, explaining that Norton had settled in the west of the village, and that the country's lord refused to give aid to them, since the village was so remote. Fayt, grasping the situation better now, left back for Niklas and Meena's house. Inside, he found Meena looking at a small, almost treasure chest-like box.

Upon Fayt's query as to what she was looking at, Meena exclaimed happily, "It's my treasure box! Daddy gave it to me on my birthday."

Niklas, shaking his head, took Fayt aside for a moment, whispering in a low voice, "That music box was passed down through our mother's family. It is the only thing we have left from our parents. But, alas, it is broken now, and does not make a sound."

Fayt swallowed, sympathy and empathy surging through him, as well as a sense of connection with the two orphans. Hoping that his greater knowledge of mechanics might aid him, he asked, "Can I have a look?"

"Sure!" Meena jumped off the table happily.

As he examined the box, thoughts raced through Fayt's head. _The gearbox is broken…but I bet I could fix this. If I can get back to my pod, I should be able to synthesize parts. I don't think the UP3 prohibits repairing the existing devices…_ "Yeah, this shouldn't be too hard." He mumbled, before turning towards Niklas and Meena. "Want me to fix this for you? It'll be my way of paying you back for rescuing me."

Meena's eyes widened. "Really? Can you fix it, Fayt?" She asked earnestly, a note of real, feverent hope that sent a smile on Fayt's face quickly.

Biting his lip, Niklas looked torn between gratitude and being taken aback. "Can you really do that? It is an expensive music box. They told us it would cost a great deal to fix it." He said motioned to the music box, and glanced at Fayt again.

Quickly, Fayt's mind raced, remembering that on a planet like Vanguard III, such parts would be hard to come by. "If I can get my hands on the right parts, yes, and I think I know where to get them. It's a little ways away but I'll go get them later." Fayt said quickly, but Niklas continued protesting.

"But, we cannot ask you to do something like that for us!"

"You saved my life. It's the least I can do to repay you!" Fayt argued, but Niklas still seemed hesitant.

"Still…" He trailed off, scuffing his shoe, acting more like the child he was than the adult that Fayt could easily perceive him being.

Fayt's agile mind quickly thought up an easy way to break the stubborn boy's defenses. "And I'm sure that Meena wants it fixed, right?" He asked, glancing at the eager little girl.

Niklas seemed torn between laughing and glaring at Fayt, but in the end, he gave in. "Thank you…good sir." He added, swallowing a bit of the suspicion in his eyes.

Remembering the fights against the creatures of the forest, Fayt asked, "In return, do you think I could get my sword back? I won't be able to go through the forest without it." Glancing at the healing bruises on his body, he instinctively wished for his weapon.

The suspicion flared back up in Niklas' eyes. "You swear you are not with Norton and his gang?" He asked again, firmness in his voice, as Meena wandered about the small room, oblivious to the tension burning between her brother and their guest.

"That I'm not." Fayt replied in the same tone, but Niklas seemed unappeased for a moment. "What…you don't believe me?" Now Fayt felt a bit hurt, which might have showed as Niklas' suspicion died out.

"No, I trust you." The young boy smiled warmly at him.

Fayt grinned back. "Thanks."

For a moment, a feeling of warmth was on both of their faces, before Niklas grew serious again. "But be wary. If you are not one of Norton's gang, you will be in even more danger outside the village." He warned, but Fayt shook his head and assured Niklas he'd be fine.

* * *

A few hours later, a weary Fayt stumbled towards his escape pod, his sword slightly blemished with the lifeblood of the creatures he had fought. With a bit of morbid cheer however, he had noticed that he hadn't been as tired from these battles. But the sight that lay before him dissolved that bit of cheer.

His silver escape pod lay broken open, the replicator ripped out and several other key parts stripped off. Definitely not random vandalism. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were up to. Giving a cry that echoed throughout the forest, Fayt kicked the pod, not even wincing at the sharp stab of pain and then the following dull ache. Snarling angrily, mostly at the thought of not being able to help Niklas and Meena, he stalked off back to the village.

Upon his arrival, Fayt entered Niklas and Meena's house, fully intent on apologizing and trying to find some way of regaining his equipment.

"Fayt!" Meena shrieked happily, running over to the young man.

"Hey," Fayt smiled, before his smile dimmed. "I'm sorry, I don't have the parts yet."

Niklas waved his hand in dismissal. "What a relief, you are well! Norton's gang was lurking around the forest in the direction you left in. We were worried."

That gave Fayt pause. Could Norton be an off-worlder, like himself? "Niklas… Could you tell me more about Norton and his gang?" He asked slowly, "Who are they?"

After a brief silence of remembrance, Niklas began. Norton had appeared about six months ago, ordering the village to give him food, but when the villagers refused, he used some "mysterious light, and those it touched disappeared, one after the other". Many were lost, including Niklas' father. The lord of the country did nothing, dismissing the idea of the light as foolishness, and now people were actively joining Norton.

"A mysterious light, that makes people disappear…" Fayt fearfully realized that the "mysterious light" might just be a laser weapon. There was only one possible explanation. "Niklas… When you first met me, you asked me about my clothes and ears, right? Why?" Fayt asked, swallowing in fear at the knowledge.

Niklas nodded, a little abashed. "Norton wore clothes made out of a strange material that was neither linen nor cotton," Glancing at Fayt, he added, "Just like the clothes you wear. And his ears were shaped like yours… That is why I did not trust you at first. I apologize." He said, remorse in his eyes.

An immense weight of fear burrowed deep into Fayt's gut. "Don't worry about it." Fayt said distractedly. Quickly, Fayt realized that if someone had been using a laser, then that would explain why they'd steal his pod parts.

Noticing his distraction, Niklas asked quietly, "Is…something the matter?"

Fayt smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing, I was just thinking…" And a new plan had formed in Fayt's head. He had to talk to Norton. No matter how dangerous it was...

He had a promise to keep to a friend. But another promise was tugging at his conscience. "I'm really sorry, but it's going to take me a little more time to fix your music box. Can you wait just a little longer?" He asked softly.

Meena seemed a little disappointed, but quickly responded with a cheery, "Okay!"

But Niklas was smart, and easily made the connection. "That thing Norton's gang carried off... did it belong to you?"

Fayt swallowed. He could not, under any circumstances, break the UP3. On the other hand, he didn't want to lie to Niklas and Meena. But in the end, duty and respect of the law overruled Fayt's heart. " No." He lied, wishing it wasn't so easy to do so. "I thought it might be, but it wasn't. Don't worry, I'll fix your music box."

Although it didn't look like Niklas was buying the lie, Meena, in her childish innocence, demanded food. As Fayt, Niklas, and Meena settled down to eat, however, the young boy continued to glance at Fayt, and bit his lip determinedly.

* * *

The next morning, Fayt was getting worried. He hadn't found Niklas anywhere. As Meena skipped along by, it seemed as though she too was a bit worried about her brother. "So, where's Niklas?" He asked her, bending down slightly.

Meena bit her lip worriedly, and shook her head. "I don't know."

"Has he gone somewhere?" Fayt asked, praying Meena would know.

But his hope was in vain. When I woke up, he was already gone. I hoped he hasn't disappeared, too…" Meena's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she fought them back. "Just like Mama and Papa." She half whispered, mostly to herself.

A wave of empathy hit Fayt hard, nearly drowning all common sense. "Niklas would never leave you like that, Meena." He assured her. "It'll be all right. I'll go find him for you." He promised, grabbing her hand.

"Promise?" She asked in a desperate half-whisper.

"Promise." Fayt affirmed, nodding.

* * *

Glancing around at the area where the villagers had pointed out to him was Norton's hideout, he quickly discovered it was not what he was expecting. Instead of a singular structure, it was almost a maze of ruins that stretched for almost half a mile. Sighing, Fayt proceeded forward, gripping his sword and feverently hoping he would not have to use it.

As he proceeded through the ruins, he found a few buried herbs that he was happy to gather, just in case. Eventually, he reached a mostly intact building whose ground floor was blocked off by a large amount of rubble. Stepping aside, he went around the back, hoping to find some clue as to where Niklas had gone.

Fayt's clue came in the form of three lounging young natives whom he had never seen before, but were obviously from the village. _These must be the villagers that joined Norton. Maybe they know where Niklas went. _

One of the natives glanced at him and stood up straighter, eyes narrowing. "Who are you, kid? Whatdya want? This here's Lord Norton's turf, so bear it, or else!" He threatened, probably not noticing the rather large sword in Fayt's hand, or not caring.

Not wanting any bloodshed, Fayt dropped the blade and raised his hands. "I don't want to fight you guys. I just want to know if you've seen a little boy around here."

"A little boy?" A second one asked, and the three exchanged glances, obviously trying to remember if a little boy had come by. After a brief pause, one of them spoke up.

"Oh, you mean Niklas. Yeah, he came 'round here, blabberin' 'bout getting somethin' back, and wantin' to see Lord Norton." He said carelessly, looking annoyed at the memory.

"Then what did he do," Fayt asked, a firmer edge to his voice that hadn't been there before.

The ruffian grinned viciously. "Being the kind-hearted fellas we are, we gave the stupid kid what he wanted." The other two snickered along with him. "I bet Lord Norton's 'reeducatin' the undisciplined lil' brat right now." The obvious implications of the statement were clear to Fayt.

"What?" Fayt half-asked, half-snarled. If they hurt him...

"It's the kid's own damn fault." The thug smirked. "Nothing good can come from messin' with Lord Norton. Don't worry—he'll learn it's better to join us than fight us! It's a shame the apple don't fall far from the tree. Idiocy must run in the family."

Something snapped within him, and the emotional dam that was holding all his worry, fear, and rage broke, releasing a flood of anger. "You little bastard!" Fayt roared furiously, and snatched up his sword, blind rage filling his veins, a strange feeling thundering and resonating within his body.

The nearest thug grabbed a knife from his sheath and rushed Fayt, and the others followed suit. Before even one could swing, Fayt delivered a brutal upward blow to the nearest one, who was barely able to block before he was sent flying backwards into the stone wall and slumped against it, out cold.

The other two brutes, not being very lion-hearted, quailed for a moment, which was all Fayt needed to deliver a downward to a second one's kneecap, sending him crashing to the floor, screaming in pain and clutching his nearly hacked off limb. The third dropped his knife and ran, which only infuriated Fayt further.

"Oh no you don't!" He yelled, racing after the ruffian. Not even noticing that he was moving with incredible speed beyond anything he had been previously capable of, he easily caught his opponent and delivered a brutal side swiping blow, sending a spray of blood flying, painting the grass a morbid crimson as the final underling lay prostrate, holding his profusely bleeding side.

The injured screams of the thugs suddenly brought Fayt back into reality, the red mist of bloodlust finally subsiding and giving way to a blank horror. "Dear God in Heaven... what have I done?" He sank to his knees, letting the bloodstained sword fall to the grass from his numb hands, feeling vomit begin to rise within his throat. "I could have... I wanted to kill them." He swallowed down the bile and the horror. What the Hell was happening to him?

A sudden thought broke Fayt's reverie. Niklas was still inside, most likely being beaten. Slowly, Fayt got to his feet, and glanced fearfully at the sword next to him that still lay painted in the blood of his enemies. After a moment, he gripped the sword, and went inside.

* * *

After passing a room nearly full with obviously stolen goods, Fayt found a room that answered all of his questions. His pod parts were all here, all of them being used to make a computer and a replicator. _Well, Norton's definitely an off-worlder. Now let's just hope he's reasonable... _Fayt could still hear the screams of the injured thugs, and shuddered.

Noticing a single query, asking if he would like to open the door to the cells, Fayt clicked Yes. Exiting the room, Fayt ran into the dungeon, where he found Niklas lying in a cell, decidedly worse for the wear. One of his eyes was completely swollen and shut, and there were several cuts and bruises all across his arms and body, his shirt had several tears in it, and his left cheek was purple. Gripping his sword so tight his knuckles went white, Fayt felt that same rage build within him again, and barely held it in check.

"Niklas..." Fayt swallowed painfully, feeling as guilt fester within his gut. This kind boy had been hurt because of him. Everyone around Fayt was getting hurt...

Niklas raised his head weakly, opening his one good eye. "Fayt…why are you here?" He croaked softly.

"Rescuing you." Fayt replied, and added sternly, "You should never have run off like that!"

"The music box parts…I wanted to get them back. I…I could not ask you to do this for us." Niklas closed his good eye in pain and shame.

"Don't be stupid," Fayt half-muttered.

"It is dangerous here! You…must leave, quickly! He'll…get you." Niklas said urgently, before he collapsed, exhausted.

"Niklas! Damn it kid!" He swore, glancing around for keys.

"Must leave…" Niklas muttered, half-delirious but still urgently urging.

"He needs help... damn it Fayt, think…think…" Fayt closed his eyes, trying to think of something, anything that could help. After a moment, the answer came. Reaching into his pocket, he removed his communicator. "I could short the battery in my communicator, or-" But suddenly a thought cut that rain of excited thoughts. If he did that, he'd lose his communicator. And that meant no rescue.

For a moment, Fayt grappled with the issue, until another thought broke the stalemate. Meena. There was no way he could go back and desert Niklas, not when there were people waiting for him. Swallowing down his doubts, Fayt set his communicator against the door and shorted the battery, which easily blasted the cell door off its hinges.

Running inside, Fayt found an unconscious Niklas waiting for him. "He doesn't seem too badly hurt… That's a relief." But something else cut through Fayt's relief.

Niklas was mumbling gibberish in his injury induced sleep.

"Damn, that's right! My translator was built into that communicator." But Fayt just shook his head. No time for regrets, now. We better get out of here!" Picking up Niklas, he exited the cell, but suddenly a sharp yell cut through the noise and paralyzed him.

"FREEZE!"

* * *

Slowly, Fayt put Niklas carefully on the ground, along with his sword. As he began to stand up straight a burst of light slashed through the air, passing by Fayt's cheek and struck the wall, sending a small shower of debris to the floor. Fayt winced as he felt a small trickle of blood began to fall from where the laser had passed by. A second burst of light struck the boxes nearby, a neat, circular hole burnt straight through.

"No funny moves if you wanna stay alive. Play nice and I'll let you live a little longer kid." A voice sneered from the shadows.

Despite himself, Fayt felt oddly calm. "That was a phase gun. So you must be Norton." He couldn't help the slight sneer on his face or the fury that laced his voice.

But Norton didn't seem fazed, stepping forth from the shadows cockily. He was a blonde humanoid, wearing a purple trench coat. He was not much taller than Fayt, but the blood red rifle in his hand made him seem more imposing. "Yeah, that's me. I am Norton the Great!" He boasted, laughing a bit insanely. "Ah, it's so nice to hear genuine Terran being spoken, eh? Seems like ages." Norton added wistfully.

"Why are you here! You're definitely not from this planet!" Fayt said angrily.

Norton smirked, looking smugly superior. "I'm from Rezerb, boy. We're not part of the Federation."

Wracking his mind, Fayt recalled all he knew about Rezerb. "I've heard of that world. That's that planet filled with

joy seekers that keeps rejecting Federation membership. So what are you doing here? This is an underdeveloped planet!" Fayt demanded.

At this, Norton looked amused. "Not much to tell… I …was involved in this er…unfortunate accident." He grinned and shrugged. "Guess it was a bit much even for Rezerb. So I was sentenced to spend the rest of my days in exile on a deserted planet. But… The escort ship they were transporting me on had engine trouble and ended up crash landing here."

A very nasty smirk pasted itself on Norton's face. "Can you believe it?" He laughed viciously. "All I had to do was mess with their engine codes. Those stupid pilots ended up frying their engines!"

But then his face changed to one of distaste. "All I was trying to do was create a distraction so I could make my escape. But we ended up crashing, and this planet's become my prison."

"And the others, Norton!" Fayt nearly yelled. This guy was forcing that emotional dam to crack once more.

The amused look dropped, and Norton fired off a shot that narrowly missed Fayt's head. "That's 'Lord Norton' to you!" He shot back.

Forcing himself to calm down, Fayt asked, "There must've been others. What happened to the other people on the escort ship?"

"Oh, those guys? They're dead, the poor fools." Norton replied nonchalantly. "They were trying to send out a distress signal and a bolt of lighting smote 'em where they stood." A sadistic laugh burst from the criminal's lips as he motioned to his rifle. "That crash was unfortunate, but I'm making the most of it. This planet's going to be my kingdom!"

Rage began to bubble deep within Fayt once more. "So that's why you've been raiding Whipple?" Fayt nearly screamed, wanting to cut that smirk off the criminal's face.

"Yeah, something like that. You're a smart kid. That's why I've been raiding the village, and that's why you gotta die. Sorry!" Norton apologized non-apologetically. "You'll be happy to know I'm gonna make the most of those parts I stripped from yer escape pod."

Raising his rifle, Norton prepared to shoot.

Fayt growled viciously. "It's guys like you…" Now he felt all the anger and rage and hate boil over, and suddenly a power unlike anything he had ever known was flooding him, an ocean of pure, raw, energy surrounding his psyche. A strange, but familiar feeling rose within him, and around him, a destructive glow of cobalt began to grow, an aura that threw Norton off guard. But all Fayt could hear was a roaring in his ears, all he could feel was hate and rage.

"What the hell are you!" Norton asked fearfully, stepping back slowly.

"I'm going to-" But suddenly Fayt's rage was broken by a very calm, very off hand voice that cleaved the tension apart easily.

"Ah, there you are. I thought I lost you when your distress signal went out. Might never have found you if it weren't for those explosions." From the shadows, a well built man with rippling muscles and straw blond hair stepped forth, wearing a tight black jumpsuit without sleeves and jet-black gloves over his hands.

"What do you want? You're not one of them Federation guys, are ya?" Norton asked cautiously.

The man snorted and then laughed amusedly. "Who, me? A Federation soldier? Ha, yeah, that's a good one!"

This seemed to relax Norton somewhat. "Well then, who are ya?"

"Cliff Fittir," The man slightly bowed, "A Klausian and member of Quark."

Both names caused a stirring of memories within Fayt, who had been watching the exchange cautiously, but in Norton, one caused fear.

"A K-Klausian?" Norton sputtered, nearly dropping his gun in shock.

"Sorry, no time to explain." Cliff waved his hand dismissively. "I'm kinda in a hurry. Just lemme have Fayt, that Earthling boy over there and I'll be on my way. I don't plan on butting into whatever ya got going on over here."

Fayt stepped back in shock. "How the hell do you know my name!" Fayt demanded.

"Let's not sweat the details. Suffice it to say, you're my man." Cliff took a step towards Fayt, but suddenly Norton seemed to regain his wits.

"Hold it right there, or I'll blast ya!" Norton half-screamed, raising his rifle towards the blond.

"Huh? You talking to me?" Cliff asked, turning towards the deranged criminal.

Norton seemed over his fear, and now seemed intent on killing both Fayt and his apparent rescuer. "You think you can fool me? There's no way a Klausian would come here! You're probably some sorta spy. It's so obvious!"

Cliff sighed, annoyed. "Look, since I'm such a nice guy, I'm gonna fill you in on a little secret. That gun you have there has no effect on us Klausians. You didn't know that?" He explained slowly, as if talking to a small child.

"Shut the hell up!" Norton screamed, and fired at Cliff.

Fayt couldn't help the astonished gasp that escaped his mouth as Cliff suddenly dodged each laser burst, and, as if by magic, appeared in front of Norton, fist raised and cocked, ready to take the criminal out.

The seemingly unflappable Cliff now had annoyance written all over his face. "All right. I'm done lecturing. Time to teach you lesson!"

Giving a roar, Norton raised his rifle and prepared to fire as Cliff raised his fists. Deciding to even the odds, Fayt grabbed his sword and rushed to join the Klausian.

Cliff moved absurdly fast, dodging another bolt from the criminal and delivering a vicious blow to his gut, causing Norton to double over in pain. Before the deranged "lord" could recover, Cliff disarmed him and delivered a rapid-fire barrage of punches to Norton's chest, sending blood flying from the man's mouth. After a few seconds, the blond jumped backwards, fists still raised, but there was no need.

With a single gasp of "Bastard," the self-proclaimed lord of the area, Norton, collapsed in a heap.

* * *

Fayt had only one comment for the battle. "Holy shit!" He swore under his breath, stepping back a bit in awe.

Cliff dusted his hands off nonchalantly, looking unfazed that he had nearly killed someone within a few seconds. "Well, so much for that guy. But I did try to warn him."

Fayt had heard of the Klausian race, who looked Terran but had physical abilities that far outstripped those of any Earthling. And the name Quark rang a bell with him too, it was an anti-Federation group.

The blond stood over the beaten body of Norton and looked him over, and noticed the man was no longer breathing. "Looks like I overdid it. Shoulda held back a little bit." Cliff muttered, sounding abashed. Bending down, he began searching the criminal, and removed a communicator. "This is about the only thing that still works. The rest ruined. …Here." He thrust the device towards Fayt, who glanced over at it.

"This is a communicator?" Fayt asked slowly, not sure at what he was seeing.

"Can't live without one!" Cliff responded, scratching his head in consternation. "I can't figure our why you wouldn't have one with you."

Fayt flushed slightly. "Thanks for getting me out of that mess. You saved my life." He said quickly.

"Whoa there. Don't go thanks me yet." Cliff raised his hands. "Ya see, I've come to abduct you."

Stepping back farther, Fayt sputtered, "What?" Although it might have been in vain, he grabbed his sword tightly.

"Now don't get all worked up…" Cliff chided. "I'm not going to hurt anybody. It's just my boss wants to meet you. That's why I came all the way out here to find you."

Raising his eyebrows, he asked confusedly, "You mean Quark's boss?"

"That's right. Our leader wants to see you. But you've sure made it a tough job. First, I went to Hyda and ran into that mess, thanks to you. Then, I get here and find you poking your nose into matters better left alone…"

"You make it sound like it was my fault Hyda got attacked." Fayt muttered darkly, annoyed.

A silence descended on the two, the only answer to Fayt's comment. Cliff looked decidedly uncomfortable, and finally added, "Just kidding, don't sweat it. At any rate, I got you now. And I did rescue you, so no complaining. And besides, you wanna see your old man, don't you? He's been captured by the Vendeeni."

"What! But why?" Fayt asked urgently.

Cliff shook his head and shrugged. "Hey, don't ask me. All I know is your old man was abducted from the Evacuation Facility on Hyda."

"What about my mother… and Sophia!" Fayt demanded, his tone demanding and urgent.

But the blond didn't seem to notice, still talking slowly and calmly. "Well, we know your mom's safe. She should've already arrived at Remote Station #6. I don't know about the girl." Cliff shook his head. "I've had my hands full just trying to track down your escape pod."

"How do you know all about this? What else do you know?" He demanded, his tone accusing.

"Not much else…sorry. Oh yeah, I do know what yer old man Dr. Leingod, was researching." Cliff added.

"You mean symbological genetics? My dad's an authority in that field, so it's no surprise you've heard of him." Fayt shook his head dismissively. That didn't help any.

"Right, symbological genetics. And 19 years ago…" But suddenly, Cliff stopped. "Ah, never mind. That doesn't matter right now."

Before Fayt could ask any more, Cliff added, "C'mon! Ya don't have any other way off this planet, do ya? Look, I'm sure things will clear up if you just come with me. Besides, you'll be able to see yer old man again."

"But according to you, my Father's been captured by Vendeen. So how could I possibly see him?" Fayt asked. "You're making no sense!"

"Simple! Quark'll go rescue your old man, too." Cliff responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That doesn't add up! Why would an anti-Federation group want to help my father?"

"Look, its complicated. Let's not get into that right now." Cliff replied, his tone firmer and a bit harsher than before, as if he was uncomfortable with something. "So, are you coming or not?"

Fayt sighed. A way off Vanguard was a way off. "Okay… I'll go with you. But could we stop by Whipple first? I want to make sure the boy gets back there safely." He asked, motioning to the beaten boy.

"Sure, whatever," Cliff said, waving his hand dismissively. But I still think you shouldn't have gotten involved…"

* * *

After Fayt had gotten the Music Box parts, Cliff destroyed Norton's hideout to rid Vanguard III of any traces of advanced technology.

Glancing admiringly at the dancing flames, the Klausian commented, "There, everything's back to normal, huh?"

But Fayt shook his head. "You're wrong, things aren't back to normal. Niklas's and Meena's parents are gone forever." _And if I don't hurry up, mine could be too. _

When they returned to Whipple, Cliff stood at the edges of the village and crossed his arms. "Finish up quick and get back here. I'll be waiting for you."

Fayt nodded, and turned to walk into the village, Niklas held in his arms.

"Don't keep me waiting too long, kid!" The Klausian called out after him.

"Got it." Fayt replied distractedly.

After a tearful Meena greeted him at the center of the village, Fayt and the little girl brought Niklas into the house, laying him on the bed.

"He'll be fine Meena. He just needs to rest." Fayt assured her.

The child nodded, and sat at the edges of her brother's bed, watching him silently with unshed tears.

Turning his eyes away from the sight, Fayt found the music box, and quietly replaced the parts. It was a fairly simple machine, and took only a few minutes to repair. "Done." Fayt whispered softly, and glanced at Meena and Niklas. _At least I got them back together again... _Swallowing, the Earthling breathed quietly, "Goodbye."

Quickly, Fayt turned and left the house without a backward glance, small tears of goodbye glistening unshed in his emerald eyes.

* * *

The Klausian led Fayt near to where he had crashed earlier, eventually stopping at a cliff.

Pulling a communicator from his belt, Cliff spoke. "Hey, it's me. We're at the location. Transport us up as soon as you can. Hmm? Oh, no problem. I got him." The blonds' eyes rolled in annoyance at whatever the person communicating with him was saying. "I said it's okay. I haven't done anything." A moment of silence followed, and Cliff sighed. "Yeah, I know. Now hurry up and get us outta here."

Turning towards Fayt, the Klausian explained, "My ship'll be here soon. Once we're ready, it's good riddance to this hunk 'o rock. My ship's not so big, but it's packing a gravitic warp engine. …It's quite the speed demon." He boasted proudly.

But Fayt wasn't paying attention, a new though disturbing his already troubled mind. "Hey, Cliff…"

The blond turned towards him. "Yeah?"

"Why does Quark's leader want to meet with me? I'm just a college student from Earth!" Fayt demanded, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Cliff looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Oh…um…'no comment?'" At the look on the Earthling's face, he sighed. "That's not doing it for you, is it?"

"No, it's not." Fayt replied dryly.

"Let's see, well… I guess the biggest reason would be… Our leader wants to chat with you?" _That's half-true, _Cliff thought to himself, thinking of his commander's feverous desire to meet Fayt.

"Nice try, but that's avoiding the question. Why's your leader want to meet with me?" He asked again.

"Hey, how should I know?" Cliff responded, annoyed. "I just do what I'm told. There's probably something our leader wants to talk to you about." Noticing the look on the Earthling's face, he added, "If you want to know, you'll come with me.

Fayt sighed and nodded as a ship appeared in the sky, and in a flash of light, both off-worlders left the planet.

* * *

Thanks to Bobboky, Tristan Amaryllis, Gester, Lloyd (Irving) Aurion, Kira Hibiki, basteng, Theatre-Sama, NaruNaru.O.K., Z.A.G., Halloween Sora, Black Magician Jasura, tocole, zora, gleenthefrog, Sahagiel, Wolf of Light, and Tiger5913 for reviewing!

QA

Tristan Amaryllis- Yeah, that scene kind of bugged me. Any of those scenes I feel lack drama, I'm going to be putting my own spin on them. I like going into character thoughts, and as we move on, there will be more and more of them (specifically, when all three girls begin competing). I've gotten some complaints about the young man and the like, so I'll be trying to stay away from that. Thanks.

Gester- Thanks for the proofread and the constructive criticism. I was a bit hazy on the facts.

Kira Hibiki- Yeah, when I begin those moments, there will be switching of P.O.V.s, but maybe not 1st person. I'll try to support more emotions, thanks for that.

basteng- That's a pretty good idea, and I thought about it. But there are certain parts of the this plot that would need to be changed, or it wouldn't make sense.

NaruNaru.O.K.- Yeah, I am.

Z.A.G.- (laughs) You know what, I think I might just make a Welsh/Fayt one-shot, just for the heck of it. But as for what will happen, I hope, no matter what pairing I chose, you'll stick with me.

Sahagiel- I don't know. Its looking about 15-20 really long chapters right now.

Tiger5913- That makes about two people pulling for SophiaxFayt so far. Yeah, there are very few fics for that pairing, which is a bit strange to me.

IMPORTANT AN: First of all, I'd just like to reiterate how in awe I am of all the constructive criticism you've all given me. Now those are the kinds of reviews I really enjoy. Now secondly, I should make this quite clear. Despite the number of votes for any pairing, that pairing may or may not be chosen. I'm just trying to clear this up now, so there aren't any misconceptions later. Your opinions matter, its just that the final decision rests with me. Thanks for reading and please review!


	4. Chapter 4 Cold Welcome

Disclaimer- I don't own Star Ocean. It is the property of the great Square-Enix and Tri-Ace.

AN: Sorry about how long it took for this chapter. Its been a long month.

* * *

Chapter 4 Cold Welcome

"Do you think Mirage got away okay?" Fayt asked, sighing slightly as he felt his body ache from the 'hospitality' of the dungeons.

The blonde next to him waved his chained hands casually, if a bit awkwardly. "She'll be fine. Like I told you, she's a Klausian. I bet she snuck off into town a long time ago."

Fayt could only nod, only half believing the statement, but from what he had seen of Klausian ability, Mirage should have gotten away. "I hope you're right." A familiar rage coursed through the young man's veins, and he greatly desired to punch something. "How am I supposed to rescue my dad trapped like this? I don't know why the Vendeeni captured him, but I doubt they're showing him much hospitality." The implied, like us, was left silent.

The Earthling's mind drifted back towards how he had gotten into another sticky situation...

* * *

Fayt found himself in a small, but relatively comfortable ship that was entirely dull gray. Cliff led the way into the cockpit, which was empty save for a single head of blond hair visible at the co-  
pilots seat.

"Welcome back." A woman's voice drifted from the co-pilot's seat.

"Sorry to keep ya waitin'." Cliff apologized, "This is my navigator and partner in crime. I leave the day-to-day operation of the ship to her. Mirage, this is our target."

A beautiful blonde woman with a slender figure stood up from the cockpit, meeting Fayt's uncertain emerald gaze with her unreadable cobalt one. She wasn't too tall or too short, and her blonde hair was cropped into a short bob that accented her pale, almost delicate features. A small, genuine smile spread across her face. "Yes. I knew right away. Nice to meet you, Fayt. I'm Mirage Koas." She said, offering her hand.

"N-nice to meet you, too." Fayt stuttered softly, a bit taken aback by her beauty. After a moment, he released her hand and scratched the back of his head, looking down and blushing slighty.

Cliff seemingly noticed the Earthling's reaction to his navigator, and gave small chuckle of amusement. "Fayt, you okay?" Biting back a bark of laughter, he added, "Oh, and listen, don't fall for her; she may look pretty but she's a Klausian. Any funny ideas, and yer liable to meet a swift, yet painful, death."

Blushing furiously, Fayt managed to a stuttering, "Hey, w-wait a sec! Who said I was falling for anyone?"

Biting back the tide of laughter just waiting to burst from his throat, Cliff replied, "Relax! I was just warning ya." _And man, if this is how you react to a beautiful woman not interested in you... _

Fayt's voice drifted through and intercepted Cliff's train of thought. "I…was wondering. Just how long will it take till we get to your leader?"

"Oh, we'll be there soon." The Klausian replied, waving his hand dismissively. "It's about three hours to the rendezvous point. Mirage, I'm gonna go take a shower. I'm leaving you in charge."

Nodding, Fayt took a seat, shifting slightly to get used to the now unfamiliar feel of space travel.

As Cliff turned to leave, however, Mirage's voice cut in, laced with a hint of worry. "Oh Cliff… It looks like you can forget that shower."

"Huh? What is it?"

"I've just detected a gravitic space anomaly up ahead. I'm bringing us out of gravitic space to avoid it." Mirage replied, a rapid tapping of keys following her voice.

Cliff swore under his breath. "You serious? You think it's hostile?"

Fayt bit back a remark that so far, everything except these two Klausians had been hostile to him.

Mirage sighed, a hint of defeat and resignation barely audible in her voice as she reported, "We're back in conventional space. …Two Vendeeni battleships detected 400,000 km ahead."

Still, Cliff seemed to be as confident as ever. "An ambush, eh? Man, it's bad enough having to worry 'bout Federation ships. …Open up a comm link."

Although Fayt was skeptical that the Vendeen would bother talking, he held his tongue and for a moment, only the sound of Mirage typing away was heard, before she said, "Hold on. Connection confirmed… Okay, the link's open."

Scratching the back of his head, Cliff began casually, "This is the Eagle, a Klausian ship. We don't want any trouble with ya…"

Mirage's voice cut any hope of a peaceful resolution. "You're wasting your time. The enemy ships are already prepared to attack."

Cliff sighed. _Damn_. "Seems they know who we've got onboard. Escape's our only hope. It'll be tough without using gravitic warp, but we've got no choice… Reverse course! Conventional engines, full power!"

"Roger." Mirage paused. "Are you sure about this?"

Her comrade simply grinned casually and replied, "I've got a hunch."

In his seat, Fayt gripped the chair a bit tighter and prayed to any and all gods he knew of.

* * *

Breathing a nearly inaudible sigh of relief, Mirage stated calmly, "We've thrown off the Vendeeni ships."

Beside her, Cliff let out a long, relieved sigh. It had been a harrowing few seconds back there, but the Klausian knew his ship. "Phew… That was close."

In the back, Fayt stayed silent, still shaking slightly from the nerve wracking escape, willing his hammering heart to slow down to a running pace at the least.

Mirage frowned slightly. "Yes, but now we're pretty far from the rendezvous point."

Cliff shrugged easily. "Well, it can't be helped. Besides, it won't hurt to make her wait a little longer. Let's take our time."

Finally gathering his voice back to him, Fayt managed an amazed, "Wow, you hunch really paid off."

Grinning, the Klausian puffed his chest out. "Finally, some respect!"

Fayt rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, a healthy respect for your recklessness."

"What is that supposed to mean? A little more honesty would be nice, like; 'Hey, that Cliff sure is something,' or 'You're a genius, Cliff!"

Before Fayt could respond or Cliff could continue, a klaxon cut in rudely, followed closely by Mirage's slightly sardonic comment, "Sorry to interrupt while you're having so much fun…"

"What is it, Mirage?"

"The gravitic warp core is overheating. We should reduce speed immediately. The engine will scram if we don't." The only sign of her distress was the way she bit her lip worriedly as she contemplated their situation.

"What? Didn't I specifically request that ya tell me these things sooner? Get back to conventional space, pronto!" Cliff, on the other hand, was a teensy bit more excitable.

"Roger." After a moment, Mirage said, "Bad news."

"Just great." Cliff muttered, "Now what?"

"Both the conventional and gravitic warp engines have scrammed. The backup engine isn't functioning, either. I'd say we have a problem."

"Damn it!" Cliff swore, his hands knuckling and for a moment, he almost looked ready to strike something before he took in a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

Behind them, Fayt swallowed nervously and wanted to scream. Why did everything have to happen to him? Why was he with strangers in the middle of nowhere, being hunted by a hostile alien race for reasons he didn't even know? Why was everything so damned unfair!

As if trying to distract everyone from the situation and retake control of the situation, Cliff asked quietly "Where're we now?"

"We're currently within Elicoor II's gravitational field." Mirage replied after a moment.

"If all our energy sources are shot, then we can't communicate either… Well, I'm sure _she'll_ figure out something happened to us after we don't show up when we're supposed to." Fayt's brow furrowed as he caught the gist of what Cliff was saying. Someone, apparently a woman, would be forced to pick them up. Was this the leader of Quark?

Briefly, an image of an older, and if it was possible, more serene version of Mirage drifted into his mind. After all, to be leading Quark, that person had to be extremely tough and collected, constantly fending off Federation attacks.

And what would someone like that possibly want with a nineteen year old college student from Earth?

"One would hope so." Mirage replied softly, but her tone made it clear the Klausian believed that whoever _she_ was, that person would rescue them.

"Well, Mirage, come up with something." Cliff said, too softly to be an order, laced with resignation.

Mirage nodded. " I'll see what I can do."

Finally forcing himself to do whatever he could to help, Fayt asked, "What can we do? Aren't all the engines scrammed?"

"For starters, we gotta land before we crash. Then, we wait to be rescued." Cliff replied easily.

"Great plan." The Earthling responded sardonically, rolling his eyes.

"Look, my mission is to bring you to our leader. Until then, I'll watch out for you." Noticing Fayt's expression, he added, "Trust me! You're safe as…" Cliff struggled for an expression, "As a turtle in its shell!"

Unconvinced, Fayt muttered, "A turtle dropping out of orbit…"

"You say something?" Cliff asked.

"Nothing."

A silence descended on the Eagle, until Mirage's voice broke it.

"We'll be entering into Elicoor II's atmosphere in another 30 seconds. Get ready for a bumpy ride, you two." Looking back at them, she added wryly, "And keep wagging those tongues and you'll bite them off. I wouldn't want either of you to die of blood loss."

* * *

"Well... that was pleasant." Cliff muttered, shaking the cobwebs out of his head.

Staggering himself to his feet, Fayt glanced at the monitor and sucked in a breath. "Just our luck., we landed right in the middle of a damn city!"

Shrugging, the Klausian replied, "Not to mention we're out a power and the helm is out of whack. You should be happy to be alive, you know."

Knowing Cliff was right, Fayt sighed. "I guess this is no time to be worrying about the UP3. What do we do now?"

"We seem to be surrounded by a group of local soldiers now. What will you do?" Mirage asked, as if this desperate situation didn't even phase her, which it probably didn't.

Fayt was torn between wanting to scream at the unfairness of his situation and admiration of the woman's unshakable demeanor, finally settling on an uneasy medium of silence.

Cliff, meanwhile, scratched his chin and voiced out, "Not much we can do with the Eagle scrapped like this. Fighting our way out isn't really an option… Well, at least we're still in one piece!"

"For now, maybe…" Mirage replied.

"Oh well. Let's just step outside and see what happens."

Fayt bit back the reprimand that was waiting to burst from his lips. The idea was such a gross violation of the UP3... but on the other hand, so was violently crashing into the town square of an underdeveloped planet.

As if noticing his charge's demeanor, Cliff assured him, "Don't worry. I've gotta hunch they won't kill us right away."

"Another hunch?" Fayt asked with a hint of sarcasm, cracking a small smile.

"C'mon! Trust me! Didn't we make it here safely? I tell you, my hunches are always right!"

"How about that time when we almost crashed into that asteroid because of a…hunch?" Mirage said wryly.

"That was one time. It didn't count." Cliff muttered, a tiny bit petulant.

"One time!" Fayt nearly cried out, throwing his hands in the air.

"At any rate, I don't think we have any other choice." The Klausian responded, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he stood and neared the door, eyeing the crowd in the screen.

"What do you think they'll do?" Fayt asked, stepping next to him.

"Well, we'll probably be taken prisoner." Cliff said slowly, putting his arms behind his head carelessly.

"You say it like you don't even care." The Earthling commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but only you and I will go out." Cliff replied, glancing at Mirage. "We'll have Mirage wait until later to make an escape." Turning to face the other Klausian, he said, "Mirage, stay until nightfall, then leave under the cover of darkness."

Mirage nodded. "Right. That shouldn't be a problem."

"But Mirage… All alone?" Fayt said quietly.

"You're forgetting she's a Klausian. She'll be fine. I pity the soldier that tries to take her in." Cliff assured him.

"Want me to come rescue you?" Mirage asked, both wry and worried at the same time.

Cliff waved his hand in dismissal. "Nah, no need. There'll probably be too many of 'em, anyway. We'll think of something… You scout around and find a way to contact the Diplo. Don't put yourself in danger trying to hook up with us. They should be able to home in on our position as long as we make contact. They can come get us then."

"Roger." She responded.

"All right, time to go." Cliff said, glancing at Fayt, who nodded.

"Fayt… Be careful." Mirage said, smiling slightly.

"Thanks. You too, Mirage." Fayt smiled back.

The female Klausian turned towards her comrade. "Cliff…" She began, but he cut her off.

"I said it'll be okay." Cliff turned away from her, and added after a moment of silence, "I'm counting on you."

"Okay… Be careful." The two nodded at Mirage before exiting the ship.

Less than five minutes later, Fayt and Cliff had been beaten into unconsciousness and dragged off to the dungeons.

* * *

Later, in a meeting room within the castle nearby, the ruler of the country and his general's conversed about the... unusual incident.

"Well, what was it?" King Airyglyph XIII demanded brusquely. A brown haired, rather intimidating but not overly large man with stern features well matching his country's cold climate. His clothes were regal, and yet at the same time seemingly suited for a battlefield. Currently, his stony-like face was etched with a deep frown.

"We believe it to be a new Aquarian weapon, Your Majesty. We have the two crew members locked up in the dungeon." An armored guard, much like those seen in medieval Europe, responded.

"Very well. Continue with your investigation, and step up the pace of the invasion of Arias. If the enemy has indeed brought a new weapon into active service, then time is of the essence." The king commanded, nodding.

"Your Majesty!" The guard saluted, and left.

Sighing and slumping into his chair, the king turned towards his oldest advisor as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What think you, Woltar?"

"If this object that has fallen on our city is truly a new Aquarian weapon, then we are in trouble. Aquaria has shown an admirable ability to wage war of late." Lord Woltar replied, his tone sagely, matching his dignified, sagely appearance.

"Lord Woltar appears to lack confidence." A second voice interrupted, laced with bravado and pomp. Younger than Woltar, his silver hair and beard making him look as dignified as his elder, but his well built frame indicated that he was a powerful warrior. This man was known as Lord Vox. "Airyglyph has your Storm Brigade cavalry, Albel's Black Brigade heavy cavalry, and my winged Dragon Brigade for good measures! They stand no chance against our legions, Sire. Their weapons have proven themselves little threat to us. Anything they throw at us, we return in spades."

"Pride comes before the fall. Surely a measure of prudence would do us no harm." Woltar countered, and turned towards the final occupant of the room. "Right, Albel?"

This last man was the most peculiar looking and out of place. His black hair was tinged with yellow at the ends, and his eyes were obscured by his bangs. His hair stretched back with two ponytails that ended around his waist. He had a slender, almost feminine build, and he was dressed in a shirt that did not fully cover his torso. Adding a final touch to this odd portrait was a metal arm that was in the place of his right arm.

Leaning back slightly, the man known as Albel snorted and said dismissively, "If they're the enemy, we kill them. If they aren't, we dispose of them. Simple!" The voice was laced with arrogance, annoyance, and bloodlust.

Giving him an almost pitying look, Woltar shook his head and replied, "If only things were as simple as you say…"

Once more interrupting, Vox added, "Regardless, we have yet to see any evidence the object is a new Aquarian weapon. My men have already begun to interrogate the crew members. They'll talk before long." The smirk was evident even if you were blind.

"The Inquisitor? He always seems to enjoy his work a bit too much…" Woltar said, a bit of worry in his voice.

"He is the best." Vox countered.

The octogenarian sighed wearily. "As long as they do not die before they talk. We are not barbarians, you know. Even prisoners have certain rights, you know." He reprimanded.

Snorting, Vox replied incredulously, "You speak absurdities. Prisoners have no 'rights.' We'll hurt them until they squeal. If they die as a result, then so be it. You've grown much too soft in your old age, Woltar." He sneered.

"Compared to you, that may be true. I'm willing to do what's necessary, but I think your men have a tendency to take things too far." Woltar shot back.

"What's the big deal?" Albel demanded, annoyed. "Just find out whether they're enemies or

not. If that's too much trouble..." He glanced up and looked at them, his crimson eyes glittering like rubies as he smirked. "I'll be happy to take care of them." His voice was laced with bloodlust and eagerness as he tapped the hilt of his blade.

For a while, no one could follow up to Albel's statement, until Vox finally said, "We know what we have to do, m'Lord. Don't worry, if we do kill them, we'll make sure they cough before they croak, eh?"

"I certainly hope so." Woltar sighed.

King Airyglyph XIII nodded, having watched the exchange between his generals in silence. "That will be quite enough. Now is not the time for us to haggle over such matters."

"Indeed it is not." Vox replied, nodding.

"Vox, continue your interrogation." The king nodded at him, before turning to the other two. "Woltar and Albel, return to your posts. We are counting on your knights. You are the pride of our great kingdom. But for now, let us dine and discuss no more of this."

"Yes, Sire." Woltar and Vox affirmed. Albel said nothing.

* * *

And that's how he ended up in this mess, Fayt recounted, sighing.

When Fayt awoke from the... hospitality of the dungeons, he groaned, and tried to move, before discovering his hands were literally tied behind his back. Cliff had his hands in manacles in the front.

"Why did you let them catch you, anyway? I mean, you could've gotten away, right?" Fayt asked after a moment, glancing at the Klausian.

"Nah…it would've been too much of a hassle." Cliff replied, shaking his head. "I couldn't just leave you there, anyway, and I kinda wanted to see what was going on first hand."

"So? You find anything out?" The Earthling inquired.

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"What?"

"The whips on this planet hurt, too."

Fayt snorted at the poor joke. "Say, do you know what Aquaria is?" At Cliff's confused look, he explained, "The interrogator kept mentioning it. He kept referring to the Eagle as a 'new Aquarian weapon.'"

Cliff gave a brief humph, before he commented, "Must be the name of their enemy."

"They think we're spies?" Fayt nearly demanded.

"I'm thinking you got that right." Cliff attempted to move his arms, and groaned in frustration. "These restraints are pretty solid. Damn… They're too tight, I can't move at all…"

"That's why they call them 'restraints.'" Fayt replied wryly.

Cliff gave him a mock glare. "Semantics."

* * *

Shaking the last vestiges of unconsciousness from herself, Sophia groaned softly. Where was she?

Flashes assaulted her psyche. The devastation of Hyda. The separation from Fayt. The Vendeen capturing her escape pod. Being knocked out by something.

The brown haired Earthling shook her head, trying to rid herself of the drowsy feeling that plagued her.

"Is she awake?" A cold, impersonal, alien voice ordered.

Another answered. "Yes sir."

Sophia looked up and sucked in a breath. The Vendeen officer was smiling ferally at her, in the same way that she recalled sharks seemed to look as they went after their prey. The rumors that the Vendeen were descended from sharks obviously had some truth to them.

Stepping slowly towards the girl, who tried to pull away and found herself bound by energy restraints, the officer said slowly, "Tell me everything you know about Fayt Leingod."

The Earthling shook her head and struggled against her bonds.

Smirking softly, the Vendeen stepped close, so close that Sophia could smell the rancid breath that smelled like blood. Softly, the alien said almost gleefully, "Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to hurt you."

The screams of the young woman rebounded about the chamber, but no one paid any mind to it.

* * *

Cliff pondered his situation. For him, this kind of thing was regular, almost routine. That was the price you paid for being a resistance group against a government that spanned light years. But the kid...

At this point, the Klausian had a definite respect for Fayt. Few people he knew of, Klausian or otherwise, could, without training or warning, handle this intense situation. Being separated from everything you knew, being tossed across the galaxy by people you didn't even know, chased by an enemy you barely knew existed? It was a wonder the kid hadn't fallen apart yet.

Then again, Cliff considered, perhaps Fayt was on the verge of a breakdown. And if she was right about the Earthling, then this kid might just crack under the unbelievable news he would receive if, or hopefully, when the Klausian delivered the kid to Quark's leader.

Fayt shivered slightly, and glanced at himself. Apart from a few cuts and tears, he was still wearing the same clothes from Hyda, almost five days ago. _Five days? _Fayt asked himself, shaking his head. It felt like another lifetime, someone else's dream or fantasy.

"Hey, cheer up. Somebody'll show up to spring us outta this place soon enough. Then we'll be on our way, you'll see." Cliff said, his calm voice infuriating the Earthling.

"And who would that 'somebody' be?" Fayt asked caustically. "You told Mirage she shouldn't bother coming in after us, and it's not like we know anybody else. And I doubt your leader's found out about what happened to us yet…"

"They're here already." Cliff interrupted.

Before Fayt could question him, the armored soldier guarding their cell gave a low grunt and fell over, a small knife imbedded in his back. A heartbeat later, a cloaked figure leapt down from the ceiling, and landed easily.

"Is this a friend or foe..." Cliff murmured, "I can't tell." The two got up and walked to the front of their cell, where the figure stood motionless.

"You have two options: accept my conditions and live, or refuse, and die here." A woman's voice said, cold and harsh. As her words reached their ears, she tossed off her cloak. "It's your choice." With the disguising cloth gone, it revealed a striking crimson haired woman clad in loose clothing suited for quick movement. She wore a scarf that covered her neck and mouth, her metal breastplate glistened in the torchlight, and at her back were two sheathed knives. The woman looked at them impassively with emerald eyes that seemed like ice.

"What kind of options are those?" Cliff demanded, and Fayt nodded in agreement.

The woman rolled her eyes. "The correct choice should be obvious."

"So, what're your conditions?" Cliff asked.

"I want your help. That's all." She replied simply.

"Our help?" Cliff raised an eyebrow.

"That's right. You two were riding that lump of metal that fell on the town, correct? We want your technology." The woman said, her tone even and business-like.

"You need our help, don't you? You can't afford us to say no." Fayt's voice cut in, and when the two turned towards him, the Earthling had a challenging half-grin on his face. "Don't you?" He asked cockily, raising an eyebrow.

The woman said nothing, looking surprised.

"Am I wrong?" Fayt asked again.

Cliff glanced at the Earthling, a hint of respect in his eyes. _This kid's smarter than I thought. _

The woman glared at Fayt. "That's right. If you do not agree, I will take you by force."

Fayt simply glared back. There was no way he could, or would give that kind of technology to an underdeveloped planet.

Cliff, on the other hand, had no such reservations. "Give us a moment, all right?" He said, and then took Fayt by the shoulders to the other end of the cell. "Shut up."

"But she wants our technology! What were you planning on teaching them?" The Earthling demanded.

"C'mon, you saw this civilization's level of technology. Look, all they need is a little college physics and I don't know about you, kid, but I was paying attention in class." Cliff explained patiently.

"Damn... we're going to get in so much trouble for violating the UP3." Fayt muttered, but realized he had no other choice in the matter.

Cliff groaned good-naturedly "Man, what a square! Then again, maybe that's your redeeming feature, huh? Straight as an arrow just like…well…" He snapped his jaw shut and trailed off, as if he had revealed something he wasn't supposed to.

"Just like who?" Fayt asked.

"Huh? Did I say something? Never mind, kid." Cliff replied, feigning ignorance.

"I'm minding." Fayt shot back caustically.

"Forget about it!" The Klausian said in dismissal. Listen, based on what she said, we must be in Airyglyph right now, and this place is at war with her country, Aquaria. You with me so far?" After the Earthling nodded, he explained his plan. Since chances were that both country's want the Eagle's technology, then they had to cooperate with someone. "Besides, if we have to cooperate with someone, it might as well be that hot chick over there, know what I mean?"

Behind them, it was obvious that the woman caught that last comment, and she blushed and glared at them.

"You're insane." Fayt said in disbelief.

"Well, okay, let's say that was a joke. Either way, we can do whatever we want once we're outta this place. We'll just wait for our chance and make a run for it. We're not doing much better here in prison with our hands all in shackles. And if we die here, who's gonna rescue your dad, huh? I figured you'd want to meet him in this life, not the next."

Fayt almost threw his hands in the air, but knew that what Cliff said made sense. "All right, you win, for now."

Cliff nodded, and turned back towards the woman. "All right, we discussed it. We'll help you. Now get us outta here."

"Then we have a deal." She agreed. "I'm Nel Zelpher, agent for the Sacred Kingdom of Aquaria, as you gathered."

After some introductions, Nel cautioned, "Step back from the bars." Raising her hand towards the keyhole, she closed her eyes for a second. When she snapped them open a second later, a burst of lightning leapt from her palm, and struck the lock. After another moment, she kicked the door open.

Cliff whistled in appreciation, while Fayt was confused heavily. "What was that light?"

Nel raised an eyebrow. "You've never seen runology before?"

Fayt shook his head, but Cliff seemingly ignored the incident. "Thanks for getting us outta there. Now, uh…can you use that little trick of yours to get these off us, too?" He said, gesturing towards his manacles.

Nel went behind the Klausian, and cautioned, "Don't move." After a few moments, her dagger had released them from their captivity.

As they thanked her, Nel waved her hand. "No thanks needed. I'm just doing my job. But I'm

going to hold you to your part of the bargain." Her eyes turned ice hard. "You said you'd cooperate with us. Don't think you can just wait for your chance to run, either, because I won't let you. If you try… I'll kill you." Her tone made it clear she was not bluffing.

"She heard us!" Cliff muttered.

"No shit." Fayt replied, his voice wavering slightly.

"I should thank you for calling me 'hot,' though chick' I can live without." Nel added wryly.

"Sca-ree," Cliff murmured under his breath, "Kind of like Mirage."

"So, where are you from, and what is the metal thing you came here in?" The Aquarian questioned.

"We're from a country on a continent far to the east of here. It's a pretty small country, so nobody's really heard of it, but we've got some pretty solid technology." Cliff lied easily.

Nel's brow furrowed. "From the east? One of the countries in Greeton? Not the country that invaded Aquaria…"

Sensing that his lie was being bought, the Klausian pressed on. "That what you call it here? Yeah, that's where we're from. We're engineers."

"What are engineers from Greeton doing in Airyglyph?" Nel asked skeptically.

"Well, the long story'd take all day, so I'll give you then short version. Fayt's dad got, uhh, captured by an enemy country. We were on our way to rescue him in this newly developed, uhh, vehicle, but it broke down on the way, and we ended up here." Cliff explained, deciding that half-truths were the best way to go.

When they mentioned Fayt's father, Nel's eyes softened. "I see… So you are from Greeton. I thought as much. After all, there is no country on this continent with that level of technology. It was an easy conclusion."

"Well, you satisfied?" Cliff asked, but his gaze drifted down the corridor.

"More or less." Nel replied. "What I am sure of is: there's no way we can let Airyglyph have you. You must cooperate with us."

As Fayt asked what kind of technology the Aquarians wanted, Cliff suddenly lunged towards Nel, fist cocked and flying.

A gasp escaped from the agent's lips as the fist flew towards her, and Nel closed her eyes and heard a sickening crunch. After a moment, she opened her eyes hesitantly, and felt no pain. "What the hell was that!" She demanded furiously.

Cliff gestured behind her, where an Airyglyph soldier lay unconscious on the floor. "He was ambushing you," Fayt explained needlessly.

Nel flushed at her mistake. "I hope you two can fight," Nel gritted out, turning towards the corridor where rapid footsteps were heard. "Because otherwise we're about to leave this world."

"Cliff can fight without a weapon, but-" Before Fayt could finish, Nel moved over to the shadows and tossed him something. The Earthling's jaw dropped. "My sword!"

"I got it back for you." Nel explained, unsheathing her daggers.

"Thanks." Fayt replied, and as he spoke those words, the Inquisitor and two soldiers barreled down the corridor.

The Inquisitor, a sadist but a coward, grinned as he saw the boy he tortured earlier, no doubt weak and barely able to fight back. Raising his whip, he felt an almost erotic pleasure flooding him at the thought of causing more pain to the young man. But it was not to be.

As soon as he caught sight of the same man who had brutally tortured him just hours before, that rage that had buried itself deeply into Fayt's soul unleashed itself once more.

Regardless of his aching limbs and exhaustion, Fayt hurled himself straight for the leather clad torturer, who barely had to time to dodge as the Earthling's broadsword sliced the air apart where he had stood a moment before.

Nearby, Nel cross blocked the soldier's sword with her knives, and then lashed out once with her foot, catching the man in the chin, sending him flying backwards. A moment later, flashes of red stained the wall and Nel sheathed her knives.

Beside her, Cliff delivered a vicious uppercut to the chin of another soldier, following it up with a quick barrage of punches to his torso, dropping the Airyglypian in moments.

Fayt's rage had once again overtaken him, and that terrifying, almost god-like power was humming and roaring in his veins, blinding him to all thoughts except one.

_**Destroy. **_

The Inquisitor, fat and weakened by a lifestyle of sadism, was no match for the near inhuman, almost demonic speed of the Earthling, and fell prey to Fayt's sword in moments.

And as the lifeblood of the man struck his face, it was as if he had been jolted from a dream, an illusion. And all Fayt could do as he stared at the Inquisitor impaled upon his broadsword was not scream.

"Hurry. They'll be here any minute." Nel's voice cut in through the horror, and numbly, he felt hands take him and drag him down the corridor.

"We'll go out through the ventilation shaft." Her voice was faint, as if drifting from another plane of existence.

"Snap out if it kid. It was you or him." Cliff whispered harshly, but the concern was visible. The Quark agent had seen cases of this before. Battle shock, happened a lot from first timers in combat. Sometimes they would go comatose. Others would snap and go berserk. But from what the Klausian had seen of Fayt, the kid was tougher than he looked, and hopefully would pull out if it.

"One more thing… …Fayt—right?" Nel asked, and a numb Fayt (after an elbow from Cliff) nodded. "You can't go around dressed like that. I don't know if the size will match or not; anyway, put those on." She reached into a bag (presumably her own) stashed behind a stone and pulled forth some armor. "I picked some of this up earlier."

The armor was light, made up of a type of leathery, yet soft as cotton material. It was an ivory color save for the shoulder pieces, which were a metal gray. The waist had a bag attached for supplies. There was also a sky blue glove and an arm guard, and two metal pants that also had boots attached. After a moment, Nel grabbed a sword sheath from one of the dead guards and handed it to Fayt.

Cliff and Nel turned to give Fayt some privacy, and the woman narrowly caught a mumbled thanks from the Earthling.

Barely able to know what he was doing, Fayt donned the armor mechanically. When he was finished, he cleared his throat slightly, and the trio set off into the ventilation shaft.

* * *

"Sir!" A guard yelled, bursting into the meeting room.

"What is the meaning on this!" Vox yelled angrily.

"The prisoner's have escaped!" The knight reported.

"What!" Lord Vox roared, standing straight up, looking absolutely livid.

"How could this happen?" The king demanded, glaring at Vox, who was busy trying to kill the guard with his eyes.

"That is not the issue now. We must recapture the prisoners at all costs." Woltar cut in smoothly, and glanced at Albel, who had stayed silent through the entire exchange. "Albel, would you perhaps-"

"No." Albel replied coldly, and stood up. "I have no interest in hunting down wounded dogs who pose no threat to me."

"Why you insolent-" Vox began berating, but the youngest Lord simply gave him a dismissive snort and walked off. "Guard!" He barked, and was about to order the knight to attempt to stop Albel when the king cut in.

"Let him go, Vox. That is just Albel's way."

Vox looked as though he wanted to disobey, but reluctantly snapped his jaw shut. But as Albel passed him, he gritted out quietly, so the king or Woltar could not hear, "One day boy, that mouth of yours is going to get you killed. And I'll be the one to kill you."

Albel just laughed his trademark laugh that sent shivers down even Vox's spine, and walked off casually.

Woltar turned towards the king. "Which way do you think they will go, my lord?"

The monarch looked thoughtful for a moment, and Vox, turning from where Albel had left, stated, "They might try to go through the Aqueducts."

To their surprise, Woltar laughed quietly.

"Care to share the joke old man?" Vox nearly snarled.

"If they try to go through the Aqueducts, they will die." Woltar replied calmly, a small smirk developing on his features. "There are things in there that rival even Albel in strength."

_What do you know Woltar?_ Vox asked silently, not fully trusting the octogenarian's words but not dismissing them entirely.

* * *

Albel strode out of the castle nonchalantly, clad in what amounted for almost nothing in an Airyglyph winter. But the cold didn't bother the man, not one bit.

Some remarked (behind Albel's back, of course) that this was because Albel's heart was colder than the deepest winter in the country. Those who knew him agreed with the sentiment.

But the cold, nor the escaping prisoners, nor the threat Vox made against him were on the young Lord's mind. Instead, all he felt was what he had been feeling more and more.

Boredom.

This world was so pointless... there was no one, not even that woman from Aquaria, that Crimson Blade, who could stand against him. His infamy, his strength continued to grow, and he was still in his early prime. He was the strongest in the whole world. He was the god of this world, his sword, his mind chose who lived and who died.

And now, now that title meant nothing. There was no challenge in slaughtering weaklings, no revel in the almost overwhelming bloodlust, barely any joy as their blood stained his sword and clothing. Apathy dominated his soul, an emptiness that had grown for many years now, since the death on the one man Albel had ever truly respected and cared for.

Albel sighed deeply and glanced up at the stars, and found them lacking.

"I'm so bored."

* * *

After a quick trip through the ventilation shafts, the trio entered the aqueduct, which was frozen solid by the Airyglyph winter. They trudged on, being careful not to put too much pressure on the ice.

Cliff and Nel found themselves walking ahead of Fayt, who had kept taciturn and his head down throughout the entire time.

"Is he going to be okay?" The Aquarian spy asked softly, so as not to alert Fayt.

The Klausian shrugged. "He's been through a lot in the past few days, and this was his first... you know."

Nel nodded. As a commander, she too had seen plenty of new recruits go into shock after their first kill.

"He's tough though. He'll keep it together." Cliff added, and then turned towards Fayt. "Come on kid, keep up."

The Earthling nodded numbly, and moved next to the Klausian, who pulled him aside. "Listen, I know that what happened back there was tough on you. But you can't let it get to you. That guy was sick, inhuman even. I'm not saying he deserved it, but he was going to kill you."

"Maybe he should have. Everything else has already tried." Fayt replied bitterly.

Cliff grabbed his shoulder's and looked him straight in the eye, cobalt meeting emerald. "Don't talk like that! If you die, you'll never see your parents or that girl, Sophia, ever again!"

Nel caught this, and her expression turned thoughtful for a moment, before she looked away.

This threw Fayt off, and Sophia's image drifted into his mind, smiling happily at him. "I have to keep on living... I have to be strong."

"Exactly." The Klausian said, smiling slightly.

Fayt managed a weak smile in response. "I'll keep on going, I can't run away. I mustn't run away, I have to be strong." He mumbled quietly, a mantra that stabilized him, at least for the moment.

The trio continued on, although the mood was considerably lighter. As they reached the end of the Aqueduct, however, Cliff and Nel both stopped.

"What is it?" Fayt asked, reaching for his sword that was now sheathed at his hip.

Cliff shushed him softly. The hair was prickling at his neck, and something told him that there was danger-

Right below them, was the finishing line, as a massive crab burst from the ice in front of them, snarling and clacking its claws, looking ready to slice them apart. It was blood red, standing at least five feet taller than any of the trio, with claws that could cleave a person apart in moments. Towering over them, it reared back, ready to cut them down in a heartbeat.

"Oh shit." Was all Fayt could say, and both Nel and Cliff whole-heartedly agreed. As if the word as a starting gun, the gargantuan creature charged them.

Springing aside quickly, Nel reacted the fastest, lunging and slashing with her blades, but to no avail as they struck uselessly against the thick armor of the crustacean. Cliff, who struck next with his fists, could only manage small dents in the armor. Fayt's sword didn't even scratch the armor.

Nel threw herself backwards as its snapping claw lunged for her, blocking a second strike which caused her to be thrown back. Before the crab could strike again, Fayt's sword distracted the beast.

Fayt narrowly avoided being slashed in half as he leapt to one side, but tripped over himself and fell over, his sword clattering uselessly to his side.

"Damn it! The armor's too thick!" Cliff cried out helplessly, trying to knock the crab away from Fayt.

"Move kid!" Nel nearly screamed.

The Earthling stared down the blood red titan, fear gripping his heart and paralyzing him. The creature almost seemed smug, snapping its mandibles in a predatory way.

Unbidden, an image of his time on Hyda IV, of his parents and Sophia, drifted into his mind. But it was thrown away by a single thought.

_This really sucks. _

The gigantic crab raised its claws for the kill.

_I don't want to die. I don't want to die._

Cliff and Nel's voices seemed like a distant stream of music in another room, another world.

_I have to live. I can't die here. I can't die here._

One claw began moving to strike, blood red and sharp.

_Havetolivehavetolivecan'tdieSophiaMomDadlive_

"I WILL SURVIVE!" Fayt roared, and once more, that god-like power swept through his body, a flood of pure power, but this time, he was in control. His rage was his own, and he focused it into a weapon. His will to live dominated even this divine strength.

Grabbing his blade he leapt over the claw with agility and strength that was inhuman, bordering on divine. Roaring his fury that caused both Cliff and Nel to stop and freeze.

"God in Heaven." The Klausian murmured in disbelief. "She was right."

The sheer divine wrath that filled Fayt blinded him to all thoughts except one.

_Live. _

His blade glowed with sky blue with power, almost misty, ethereal, as if the sword had transcended mortality. "BLADE OF FURY!" Fayt found himself booming out, and his sword swung once, penetrating the steel-like armor of the giant crab and going straight into its brain, and then slicing it from front to back. When he landed, he spun around and delivered a final blow, impossibly cutting the crustacean in half.

The pieces of the mighty beast fell in a messy heap, its lifeblood spilling all over the floor, covering the ice. The stink of death reeked but no one noticed, the boy who killed it numb and the two who watched in disbelief.

Fayt felt the divinity leaving him, and smiled softly as the image of Sophia and his parents danced in his mind, a soft comfort in the aftermath of battle.

_I did it... I'm alive. _

He blacked out a second later.

* * *

Thanks to NaruNaru.O.K., Z.A.G., Lloyd (Irving) Aurion, Tristan Amaryllis, basteng, Captain Tsubasa, Bobboky, Kira Hibiki, Theatre-Sama, Black Magician Jasura, Goldamon X, PersonaJKT, Gester, Tessen, and dark-riku12345 for reviewing!

Q&A

Tristan Amaryllis- Yeah, that's one thing I'm kind of betting on, but I'll try and make sure stuff like that doesn't happen anymore.basteng- That's going to occur later in the story.

Kira Hibiki- Thanks. And yeah, that's what I plan to do, although I might just cut out completely useless P.A.'s, I'm mostly likely going to use them. They help give more insight, like you said.

Black Magician Jasura- Actually, he found out earlier, in chapter 2 or (in the game) in the Federation bunker.

Gester- As I stated before, its been a while since I was at the beginning of the game, and my memory is a bit fuzzy. Thanks for the correction though.

Tessen- As much as I want to get to the part where all three girls (Maria, Nel, and Sophia to make it clear) are there, this is also a novelization, and I do want to cover all the plot related areas. And as for a Fayt/Mirage pairing, I might do a separate one-shot or something.

DreamingRabbit- Stop. Spamming. My. Stories. I'm not going to make a sequel just because you keep begging. Its just annoying.

dark-riku12345- Maria and Nel. And yeah, the sister theory is plausible, but I'd rather not use it.

AN: Finally the plot is moving faster, and Albel and Nel are in the story. Just to let you know, the optional party members will be Albel and Nel. Nel is an obvious choice, and Albel... well, he's definitely my favorite as well as just a fascinating character. Like a pre-series Kenshin. Secondly, as the story progresses, I'll be adding in things that were not in the game to spice things up a bit. I won't be changing the storyline drastically, just making a few changes and additions. Sorry for the delay, again. Thanks for reading and please review!


	5. Chapter 5 Disagreements

Disclaimer- I don't own Star Ocean. It is the property of the great Square-Enix and Tri-Ace.

* * *

Chapter 5 Disagreements 

"Is he going to be okay?" Nel asked quietly as they lugged Fayt on both their shoulders.

Cliff was oddly silent, as he had been ever since the incredible display of power from the unconscious boy. After a moment, he sighed. "Yeah, he'll be fine."

Something in his voice told Nel he was remembering something else, something vital to whatever happened back in the aqueduct.

"You know something."

Cliff only grunted and stayed silent.

The Aquarian sighed. It was obvious the blond man wouldn't budge on this. "Fine, I won't push any more. But if this is going to be a problem-" She began, but Cliff cut her off.

"It won't. If anything, it might just help you win your war." Cliff's tone had only a hint of amusement, more serious than she had ever heard.

Nel stopped cold and almost dropped the unconscious Fayt. "So, you know?"

Cliff shrugged. "Why else would you risk your position as a spy and free two strangers?" At her surprised look, he laughed. "That's the thing about acting foolish. People underestimate you."

* * *

Everything was dark... so very dark, as if the sun had been destroyed and the stars hurled to the earth. There was a low rumble, like an oncoming tempest... 

Fayt blinked slowly, feeling a heavy weight on the back of his eyes and a vicious storm in his head. Lifting his head slightly, he managed a slight groan.

"Well hello there Sleeping Beauty." Cliff greeted, amused.

"Where am I?" The Earthling murmured sleepily.

"In a wagon. We're leaving Airyglyph." Nel's voice answered briskly.

Fayt turned his head towards the redhead, and saw two unfamiliar heads of hair beyond her, at the drivers seat. Noticing his gaze, Nel introduced them.

"This Tynave" She motioned towards the blonde, "And Farleen is the driver." The Aquarian gestured to the purple haired one. "They serve directly under me—my ears and eyes in Airyglyph. They're the ones who told me about you two."

Cliff seemed quite pleased with the prospect of being escorted by three women. "Why exactly are there only women in your army?"

"Aquaria is ruled by the Holy Mother of the Church of Apris. We employ many more women than Airyglyph."

"The Church of Apris?" Cliff questioned curiously.

"Yes, the church of the Sun God Apris." Tynave added in. "The Holy Mother leads the church—and is also Queen of Aquaria."

"A theocracy…" Fayt murmured, almost sounding amused at the archaic idea. Religion had passed to the sidelines in the wake of science.

"I gotcha. What you're saying is your country's packed with temple maidens. Now I HAVE to see this place." Cliff grinned, eyes sparkling with daydreams.

Nel rolled her eyes and the wagon was silent for a moment, until Fayt asked a question.

"What the hell happened?" Fayt mumbled quietly, rubbing his head.

"You tell us." Nel stated flatly.

"I don't remember... I just remember shouting something... and then-" Fayt's eyes widened as he realized what kind of power he had exerted. "Then I killed that giant crab."

"You don't know how you did it?" Nel asked, and Cliff looked at Fayt earnestly, as if expecting or perhaps hoping for a no.

"I don't know." Fayt bit back the remembrance of focusing that divine rage that poured through his veins, the way the rush of power drowned out all fear and doubt from his mind. "What allowed me to do that?"

"It looked like some kind of runology." The Aquarian commented.

Fayt's eyebrows moved together. _"_Cliff, do you think their runology is what we call symbology?" He whispered to the Klausian.

Cliff seemed surprised, but nodded. "Sounds about right."

"But I've never even tried using symbology before." He muttered.

"Perhaps you've always had the gift, and you were just forced to tap into it." At seeing Fayt's doubtful look, he added, "Trust me kid. All sorts of things happen when you're looking death in the face."

_Believe me, I know. _Cliff added mentally.

"Are you two done talking amongst yourselves?" Nel asked, annoyed at being ignored.

"Yeah." The Klausian responded, and after a moment, he said, "Maybe now we should talk about exactly what you want us to do."

Nel nodded. "I'll explain, but remember: refusal isn't an option."

"I don't know about that… I won't do anything that I don't want to. And there's always a chance we won't be able to do what you ask." Fayt said quietly.

"I told you in the dungeons that I required your technology, did I not?" Nel asked, her voice now carrying a dangerous edge.

"Right, but what does that entail?" Fayt shot back. "I won't be coerced into making weapons."

"Look, if this was going to be a problem, you should have asked me before you accepted my conditions. By agreeing to cooperate—even just to get out of the dungeon—you're bonded to me. Those were the conditions of your release, and I expect you to uphold them." Nel said firmly, her eyes hardening. "Or are you planning on breaking your word?"

"Look, you didn't even give us a real choice! 'You can live or you can die'—that's called 'coercion,' you know." Cliff cut in.

"So, you won't cooperate." Nel sighed, and seemed about to issue a command to the drivers when Cliff responded.

"When did I say that?"

Fayt whirled on the Klausian. "What are you talking about? What about the UP3?"

"This is hardly the time or the place, kid…" Cliff muttered.

The Earthling sighed, and prayed that the consequences of so many violations of the UP3 would be minimal.

That seemed to be the only thing he had, were prayers.

* * *

Albel Nox watched impassively as soldiers of the Dragon Brigade soared overhead. Around him, the people gasped and wondered at the fearsome warriors. 

The Dragon Brigade, unmatched by anything the soldiers of Apris could throw at them. To the Airyglyphian people, they were a symbol of the immense military might of their kingdom.

To Albel, they represented the most bitter failure of his life and the worst memories that haunted his psyche.

Memories simmered beneath his cognizant mind. Memories of terrible pain, a roaring fire-

Snorting slightly, he dismissed the memories. "Its not my problem." He murmured, and turned and left.

And yet the roaring of that inferno from so long ago did not dissipate in his ears, nor the searing pain that had destroyed his arm, and his humanity.

* * *

"Before I explain things, might I ask one thing?" Nel questioned softly. 

"What?" Fayt asked quietly, meeting Nel's burrowing gaze.

"Are you two really engineers from Greeton?"

Fayt seemed taken aback for a moment, and only stammered in response.

"Hey, you still don't believe us?" Cliff asked loudly, to cover Fayt's unease.

"It's not that." Nel shook her head. "It's just… The fact that you possess special technology and knowledge is clear to me—so, yes, it does seem likely that you are who you say. Still, something doesn't fit. The way you respond to danger, and your fighting ability indicate that you are not telling me everything. And…you are certainly not average engineers." She shot a pointed look at Fayt. "So you see… I believe my doubts are well founded."

"Okay, you got a point." The Klausian conceded. "But it seems to me you're just going to have to take our word. We got nothing to gain by lying to you anyway." He paused and glanced at her still questioning gaze. "Wait, you don't think we're Airyglyph spies, do you? Oh, please." He laughed lightly.

"Yes, I see what you mean." Nel agreed, a hint of a smile on her face.

"But you still don't trust us." Fayt stated flatly.

"No, I trust you. In any case, I was ordered by Her Majesty to bring you to Aquaria. I must fulfill my duty." The Aquarian said firmly.

"Well then, Nel? Please answer my question." Fayt said quietly.

"Yes… Since you're unfamiliar with this region, I'll fill you in on the details while explaining our current situation."

"Please." Fayt nodded.

"Tynave, the map." Nel called out.

"Yes, ma'am." Tynave rummaged about until she located the map, and placed it on the floor of the wagon, spreading it out between Nel and the men.

The redhead gestured to a red dot on the map. "This is Airyglyph, the town we just left. Everything to the west of this line is the nation of Airyglyph, a military superpower." Turning her finger across the parchment, she let it fall east. "Eastwards of the border is our country, Aquaria. You follow?"

Fayt and Cliff nodded silently, studying the map.

"As I mentioned earlier, Aquaria and Airyglyph are at war. Airyglyph is a militaristic nation that reveres power above all else; Aquaria is a peaceful nation that worships the Church of Apris. Aquaria and Airyglyph maintained friendly relations until several years ago. But one day, they invaded our territory without warning." Nel explained quietly, a hint of outrage in her voice.

"It seems they'd been planning their invasion for some time. Airyglyph's a frigid land ringed by mountains. Food production has never been easy here—especially in winter. We believe they were after our land, fertile with the blessing of Apris." Tynave added, frowning slightly.

"A war of aggression, huh?" Cliff commented, eyes glancing upwards to look at the two women.

"Correct. There was no diplomacy, only outright militaryaggression. We resisted, but we were outmatched. Somehow, we managed to hold them back, but the bordertown of Arias was laid to waste. Still, the war has not been completely one-sided. We may be lacking in military power, but we do have runology." The spy said this last part with a hint of pride in her voice.

"What exactly is this... runology." Fayt asked, needing confirmation that this was the same as symbology."

"A secret art handed down by the followers of Apris. We inscribe special runes into our flesh that enable us to invoke normally impossible phenomenon… Thus the name 'runology.'"

"Which is what you used to break us out." Cliff murmured, to which Nel nodded.

"But what's stopping you from using runology to keep Airyglyph back?" Fayt asked, knowing that the power of symbology had often turned the tide of many wars in Earth's history.

"There's only a few of us that can use runology. Far too few to help us stand up to Airyglyph. That's why we decided to develop a weapon that makes use of runology. It's a man made weapon that uses the special energy evoked by runology as a power source. The engineers have named that energy 'channeled force.'"

"'Channeled force'?" Fayt inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Correct. It's similar to lightning. But there are still a number of problems preventing us from cooperating the weapon." Nel sighed.

"Which is where we come in." Fayt stated quietly.

Nel nodded. "Just when our research ground to a halt, Tynave and Farleen told me about you two. They also brought back a fragment of that thing that fell into Airyglyph. It was of great interest to our researchers. They said the fragment was of a material they could not identify, and that we should enlist your aid in our weapons development. And that's where I came in."

"So you're asking us to help develop a weapon that uses channeled force?"

"Yes. That is correct."

Cliff pulled Fayt aside and whispered, "Hey, I bet we could use their power to make us a communicator."

"Yeah," He agreed, "A radio wave device, maybe. I don't really know much about this 'channeled force,' but my guess is it's electricity, and if we can make that, we're home free, but…"He turned towards the spy and sighed. "Nel, I can't do it. We can't help you."

Nel's eyes hardened. "Didn't I say refusal wasn't an option?" Her voice was icy.

"But you're talking about a weapon that will kill many people! I don't want to have any part of that. Plus, we don't have any time to spare." Fayt added bitterly. _I can't waste time on this crap._

"I understand your situation, you need to hurry to save your father, correct?" Nel's gaze seem to pierce right through him.

"Yes." Fayt replied.

"You admit this is a personal problem, not one that concerns us?" Nel's gaze never wavered and her voice was brittle and cold.

Taken aback, Fayt agreed weakly, "True, but…"

"Our country's in a state of war." Nel cut in, her voice now icy and adamant. "Both the people of Aquaria and Airyglyph are dying, energy weapon or no. A quick end to this war will reduce the number of lives lost. That is why we need to complete our new weapon as soon as possible."

Cliff looked slightly bemused, inappropriate for the situation. "This is starting to remind me of my old Earth history lessons…" _And if I recall, the atomic bomb was not exactly the best development from Earth._

Fayt knew what he was talking about. The second World War on Earth, so many centuries ago. They had used a powerful weapon to end the war quickly and without many lives lost on their side... but even today, scholars debated that it was unnecessarily damaging, and the aftereffects had been costly.

He would _not_ be the catalyst for another atomic bomb dropping. "Even so, that's not a good enough reason for me to build a weapon."

"So you're going back on your word?" Although Nel never moved, both men could tell she was ready to spring forward with her weapons.

"That's coercion!" Fayt shot back, eyes blazing with outrage.

"Call it what you will." Nel said dismissively. "I already told you back at the prison I could not let you live if you refuse to cooperate. I don't have anything against you two, but my duty comes first. And I don't need to remind you that you can't help your father if you're dead." The last part was added smugly, and the glint in her eyes told them she was not joking.

"Now wait just a second!" Fayt glared at Nel. "That's a low blow. I am not going to let you use my father's predicament against me."

Nel shrugged, a smug smirk on her face. "What do you think Airyglyph would do if we abandoned you here?"

"We wouldn't help them, either!"

"I wonder if you'd sing the same song after their inquisitor had his fun with you."

"…I would. I've already had a taste of it. Believe me." Fayt said quietly, rubbing his arms almost unconsciously.

"Confident, aren't you?" Nel quipped dryly.

Cliff decided enough was enough. Turning towards Nel, he said firmly, "Hey, don't get all bent outta shape." Rounding on Fayt, he reprimanded, "And you, chill out."

Growling, the Earthling stayed silent.

"We have no other choice. Frankly, the war with Airyglyph will escalate unless something is done soon. If we could only complete the new weapon, the situation would shift in our favor. If that means we must force uncooperative people into submission, then so be it." Her voice was harder than steel, and twice as sharp.

"Is that the teaching of Apris?" Fayt retorted caustically.

"Of course not. The Sun God Apris and our queen would never wish such things. Yet if we do not act, they will find themselves lacking for followers. Would you rather we submit to their swords, like lambs to a slaughter?" Nel challenged, a furious glint in her eyes.

"That's not what I mean." Fayt responded defensively.

"But that is what you are saying." The spy snapped.

"You're just twisting my—"

A sudden cry of fear and terror broke the heated argument. "Oh no!" Farleen screamed. Everyone, head's up! I think it's the Dragon Brigade!"

"They've caught up with us? Damn, we were so close to Kirlsa, too!" Nel swore, a despairing glint in her eyes.

"What are you gonna do? Fight?" Cliff asked.

Nel shook her head, her face screwed up in concentration.

Tynave's quiet, almost resigned voice broke the tension. "Lady Nel… It would be best for you to slip off and find shelter in the rocks." Her face brightened in false cheer and confidence. "We'll lure them away!"

"That's suicide!" Fayt protested. "You'll be killed!"

"Don't worry." She assured him with a grateful smile.

"We'll be fine!" Farleen chipped in, "We've lost their kind before!

"Tynave, Farleen, I'm counting on you." Nel said quietly, looking at the with a mixture of pride and worry. Turning towards Cliff and Fayt, she ordered, "Okay, you two, let's go."

Startled, the Earthling placed his hand on the spy's shoulder. "This is insane! You're just gonna let them go?" He demanded furiously.

"You are too valuable for us to lose! We'll be fine—fewer people means more speed. We'll outrun them! So please, go!" Tynave assured him hurriedly.

Cliff tugged on Fayt's arm. "Time to go kid," He said quietly.

Swallowing down his instincts, the Earthling nodded.

The Klausian proceeded to move towards the end of the wagon, where Nel was waiting. The Aquarian looked at him, and jerked her head towards the opening. "You first."

"The things I have to do," Cliff grumbled, and leapt out.

As the Earthling moved to the back of the wagon, however, Tynave placed her hand on his shoulder. Startled, Fayt turned around sharply.

"Fayt. Please, look after Lady Nel." She implored him softly.

Nodding, he replied, "You be careful yourself!"

"Don't worry about us!" Farleen responded.

Nearly in unison, Farleen and Tynave said, "May the grace of Apris be with you!"

Again, Fayt nodded, and then leapt out, with Nel following close behind.

* * *

_Amazing... real dragons, _Fayt thought to himself, watching the feral yet majestic, streamlined reptiles soar overhead. But the awe was cut by the knowledge that they were chasing Tynave and Farleen. 

Thankfully, the dragons passed without incident. When they were out of sight, Nel remarked quietly, thoughtfully, "The Dragon Brigade. I feared they'd show up sooner or later. It shows how important you are to them."

"That's the Dragon Brigade?" Cliff questioned, still scanning the foggy roadside for the beasts.

"Correct. They're one of Airyglyph's three military branches. Knights riding powerful air dragons. Not to be trifled with. Time to go. While Tynave distracts them, we can go through Kirlsa and enter Aquaria territory." Nel moved to leave, but Fayt's voice stopped her cold.

"Wait a moment. I have agreed to cooperate with you yet." Fayt's voice was adamant and hard as steel. "And we can't leave them here! There's no way they'll be able to escape with those dragon knights chasing them…"

"Yes, there is an extremely good chance that they'll be caught. But there's nothing we can do about that." Nel reasoned.

She might as well have been a machine, with all the damnable monotone and tonelessness of her voice.

The sheer coldness of it, icier than the weather of Airyglyph, mixed with memories at that emotionless computer that blatantly told him his parents were lost.

"They knew the dangers of their mission when they accepted it. If I became a burden to the mission, they would leave me behind in the same way." Nel continued, in that same icy and without inflection tone.

"You... how can you be so cold?" Fayt asked softly. "Don't you give a damn about your friends!" His voice raised with his fury.

For a moment, something indiscernible passed through Nel's eyes, some strange pain, but then it was gone, replaced with the normal cold impassiveness.

A tense moment passed as the two glared at each other.

Cliff moved over to the Earthling and said sternly, "Hey, Fayt. Shut up." Fayt protested, but the Klausian ignored him. I'll leave whether or not we cooperate up to you, but save the debate for later! We got to get somewhere safer first." Turning towards Nel, he asked, "We'll be safer once we reach Aquaria, right?"

Nel nodded, the glare broken. "Yes, I can guarantee that."

"There you are. So let's go there, then we can decide what's what. Make sense to you?" Cliff asked rhetorically, turning towards the still reluctant Fayt.

"Yeah, but still…"

"You want Tynave and Farleen's sacrifice to go to waste? Whatever their objective might be, they're risking their lives to save us!" Cliff's voice had raised up a notch, obviously irritated that Fayt was taking the sacrifice of two soldier's lives for granted.

"…You're right." Fayt admitted almost inaudibly. Nodding towards his unlikely companions, he set off into more unknown territory.

* * *

Nel, while not looking like she was thinking deeply, was calculating her next moves. Kirlsa was still Airyglyph territory, but she had some contacts and it was not as conspicuous as the Airyglph capital city. 

Also, she was still, despite appearances, immensely concerned over Tynave and Farleen. No commander wants to send their men into certain death... but a good commander is willing to spend their lives to complete the objective.

Finally, there was her cargo, namely, her companions. Valuable as they were, they were also suspicious, with not truly convincing back stories and strange habits.

Cliff, though seemingly chauvinistic, arrogant, and foolish, was obviously competent, perhaps even extremely so. Knowledge of tactics and other military subjects, combined with unnatural and polished fighting skills, made him a virtual enigma. There was no way he was a mere engineer. If anything, he seemed almost a general at times.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other of her companions, the younger one.

Fayt, while strange, was more understandable. Idealistic, weary, and off balanced, most likely due to the fact that he had been tortured and his father was still missing. He showed immense promise with the blade, but in all, he seemed just a kid, thrown into something way over his head.

_Except for that other side of him._

That other side worried her. That strange, furious power that erupted within him in the Aqueducts.

Shoving the worry out of her mind, Nel reasoned that unless it posed a problem, she wouldn't spend any more time on it.

Suddenly, Fayt began to stumble, and clutched his head.

Groaning, Fayt felt immense weariness seeping into his body. In all the tension and excitement, he had forgotten just how weak he still was from all his exertions.

"What's wrong?" Nel asked, a hint of concern and worry in her voice.

"My head…" Fayt stumbled and fell to his knees, groaning. His vision went completely white. Then it cleared, and Fayt stood shakily, rubbing his head, which was still painfully blank.

Nel's voice, softer with concern, broke through the blankness. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Nodding, he replied waveringly, "I just felt dizzy there for a minute."

"We'll be in Kirlsa soon. Can you make it that far? Why don't you have him carry you…" She motioned towards the strangely taciturn Cliff.

Slightly irritated by the insinuations of weakness, Fayt nearly growled, "I'm fine… I'm not a baby, geez." In a huff, he stalked off.

Glancing after him with a strange expression, Nel said quietly, "Very well.", and followed.

Cliff, who still had not said a word, watched Fayt unblinkingly. "So... its draining him." He murmured. "This could be bad." His face was set in a strange way, as if he was faced with a problem he couldn't quite figure out.

Nel glanced back at him. "Are you coming?" She asked wryly.

Nodding, Cliff followed, but the strange expression lingered in his eyes.

* * *

Nel breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. Though Kirlsa was still Airyglyph territory, at the very least it was not the capital city. They could breath a little easier, especially thanks to Tynave and Farleen. Brushing those thoughts out of her mind for now, she spoke. "This is Kirlsa. If we can get through this town, we'll be in Aquaria." Glancing at Fayt, a mixture of worry at him slowing them down and general concern in her voice as she asked, "Are you all right?" 

"I'm fine…" Fayt replied aimlessly, distracted.

Why was he so tired? Was whatever he did back in the Aqueduct affecting him?

From what he had read, regular symbology didn't tax your body so much as your mind. So what was happening?

"Don't overexert yourself. Remember, you're not as strong as we are." Cliff placed his hand on Fayt's shoulder as he reminded him.

Brushing away the Klausian's arm, he bristled. "Now even you're treating me like a baby. I said I'm fine." His voice was laced with irritation and a tinge of anger.

"Yeah, well, I'm saying you don't look fine at all." Cliff replied calmly.

"I'd prefer to just leave this town now, but that won't be possible with Fayt in this condition… Let's stay here tonight." Nel assessed.

"What about those guys chasing us?" Cliff asked, glancing over his shoulder on reflex.

"We'll be okay if Tynave and Farleen succeed in leading them off…" She trailed off for a moment, distracted, before adding, "And in any case, we have nothing to gain by forcing a sick person to march."

"I'm..." Fayt wanted to say fine, but suddenly the ache grew again and he stumbled, black dots dancing across his vision. "Okay... maybe I'm not so good." He murmured weakly.

Grabbing his shoulder, Cliff said reassuringly, "We'll be fine."

"And we're in luck. There's an inn right over there, in that building with the wagon outside. Let's go." Nel said, and Cliff half-dragged, half helped Fayt over to the wooden building.

"You're a magnet for trouble, aren't you?" Cliff asked rhetorically.

"Only recently," Fayt replied, a weak smile on his face. "Only recently."

* * *

"I'll see you later." Nel declared, an hour after they had checked into the inn and laid Fayt down in one of the beds. 

"Where're you going?" Cliff asked, shooting her a questioning glance. Fayt groggily pushed himself up on the bed, and looked at the redhead.

"I'm just going to check things out. I'll be right back." The spy replied vaguely.

"All right, but are you sure you should leave us alone? Aren't you afraid we'll just run away?" Cliff challenged, a grin on his face.

"No. You won't run out on me. I trust you, remember?" Nel replied wryly, glancing at them.

"Oh, don't say that. Now we can't run away…" Cliff groaned good naturedly.

The Aquarian chuckled. "I don't mind you walking around, just don't leave the town. And don't do anything…conspicuous." She shot Cliff a warning glance especially. "We're still in Airyglyph territory. There's no telling where the enemy is hiding."

Cliff and Fayt nodded, and Nel departed.

After a few long moments, Fayt stood up, bored and restless. "I think I'll take a walk—I'm sure it'll do me good," He declared, moving towards the door and glancing at Cliff. "You coming?"

The Klausian shook his head and laid back, resting his head on his arms. "I'm conspicuous just walking around…" He sighed. "Well, it's gonna be pretty boring, but I guess I'll just have to wait right here. Be careful kid. Like she said, we're still in enemy territory."

Fayt nodded. "Yeah, I know." And with that, he left. A good deal of time later, he found himself passing by a cemetery. While having no inclinations to go there, the feeling of despair that was ever at the back of his mind, the idea that somewhere out there, Sophia and his parents were in danger and in need of his help, nagged and itched and continued to aggravate him.

However, a flash of deep crimson caught his eye, and he paused. _Is that... _A second glance confirmed it. Nel was in the graveyard, and was talking to some hooded woman.

"…according to our latest information." The unknown woman said quietly, in a voice that was very disheartened.

"I see… They're up to the same nasty tricks as always. Is it the Dragon Brigade?" Nel questioned, her eyes and tone hard with some unreleased anger.

"No, it's the Black Brigade. Of course, the Dragon Brigade is backing them up." The mysterious woman replied, a tone of bitterness and irritation in her voice.

"I see. Good work." Nel commended, but her heart obviously wasn't in it.

"Whatever you do, please don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. You know they plan to-"

Nel shushed her, seeing Fayt out of the corner of her eye. _What's he- _"Go." Nel ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." She saluted, and left the cemetery, her eyes widening a fraction as she saw Fayt.

When she had passed, the Earthling walked over to Nel, not a hint of what he had heard showing on his face.

"What are you doing out here?" Nel asked, a tinge of suspicion in her voice.

"Nothing really." Fayt replied casually, calmly. " I was passing by and saw you, so… Who was that?" He asked in the same tone.

"She works for me, gathering intelligence here in Kirlsa. I was just checking up on her." The spy explained in a patient tone.

"Is something the matter? You looked pretty grim…" Fayt asked quietly, concern in his voice, which Nel found a bit touching after all she had done to them.

Still, she was also their only means of escaping the country, she reminded herself. "Nothing unexpected. I've found out our pursuers are getting close to this town, so we can't afford to waste any time here."

* * *

"Ah, there you are…huh?" Cliff greeted, then paused in a bit of surprise as he saw Nel and Fayt walk in together. "You two were together?" 

Both flushed slightly at the insinuation, and Fayt lied, saying, "I ran into her at the entrance."

"Like he says." Nel agreed.

"So how are you feeling now?" Cliff asked, turning towards the Earthling.

"I'm okay. It must have just been the fatigue catching up with me." Fayt replied nonchalantly, waving off concern.

"Right. Well, hope that's all it was." The Klausian remarked in a strange tone.

"Sorry to worry you guys." Fayt apologized, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

"Well, as long as you're okay. Don't sweat it." Cliff waved his hand dismissively.

Glancing out the window, Nel commented, "It'll be night soon… You should rest up today." Tomorrow we'll pass through the Kirlsa Caverns, which are mine shafts to the north of town. We'll go through there to Arias. Of course it'd be faster to go through the wilderness to the east, but we can't be sure that they aren't waiting to ambush us if we go that way." Nel explained. "At the very least, we won't have to worry about soldiers." But the tone in her voice made it clear that going through the mines was not something to be taken lightly.

"Spit it out. What's dangerous about the mine shafts?" Cliff interrogated ruthlessly.

"Well, a number of monsters have taken up residence there. I'm not saying it's completely safe. Let's just say I'd rather face them than the soldiers. So now that everyone knows the plan, let's get some sleep. We leave early." With that, Nel turned, and went into her own room.

Nodding, Fayt climbed into his bed. Within moments, he was asleep.

* * *

Thanks to Firedude328, Z.A.G., gleenthefrog, Arakasema, Goldamon X, SahagielX, deathknight sora, babipink, Ryumasa the Ryuhaitou, Gester, ChistopherC, PersonaJXT, starscream1998, Tristan Amaryllis, Shining Light, Dimitri Plabato, and darkangelgep for reviewing! 

Q&A

Firedude328- I sent you an e-mail. Did you get it?

Z.A.G- Albel fight is definitely something I look forward to as well.

Arakasema- Because Roger and Peppita bug me. And what place do prepubescent children have against the Creator?

deathknight sora- Because I'm novelizing the game. That's why.

Ryumasa the Ryuhaitou- I'd feel more for his teacher, personally.

ChistopherC- I know the Inquisitor (its not Executioner) wasn't killed. But this would be a bit boring if I stuck completely to what happened in the game and didn't change a few things.

PersonaJXT- Yeah, I know it was a bit cheesy. But no, Fayt's power still reveals itself fully at the arrival of the Vendeen. This just explains why Fayt can pull off all those moves.

Tristan Amaryllis- I cut out dialogue that seems unnecessary. I know that Mirage probably could have a relationship with Fayt, but I was more meaning for this story.

AN: Sorry this took so long. Kind of a boring chapter, so it was harder to write. Rest assured, I'm seeing this story to the very end.


	6. Chapter 6 There And Back

Disclaimer- I don't own Star Ocean. It is the property of the great Square-Enix and Tri-Ace.

Chapter 6 There And Back

"I hate mornings."

This of course, was the first thing Fayt managed to say, a slight rasp in his voice as he reached for a drink of water. Gulping it down, he staggered out of bed, and went downstairs, finding Nel and Cliff already waiting for him.

"Morning," he yawned.

"Good morning." Nel greeted pleasantly.

"Yo." Cliff grumbled, downing his steaming cup's contents.

They ate breakfast in relative silence, until Fayt finally decided to break one of his concerns. "Nel, can I ask you something?"

The spy cast a curious glance at him. "What?"

"Do you think Tynave and Farleen got away okay?"

Almost imperceptibly, Nel stiffened, but managed a quick reply. "They'll be fine. Those girls can fend for themselves. They are prepared for these eventualities…" she trailed off, not wanting to go any farther.

The blue haired boy said nothing.

After a few slightly tense moments, Nel stood. "Hurry up and get ready. Our pursuers are not far away."

* * *

"This is where we need to go?" Fayt asked skeptically, glancing down the darkened tunnel. "What is it?" 

"This used to be a mine, but they haven't dug here for decades—not since the ore ran out. These days, it's only used as a passage through the mountains. But even that's become dangerous because of cave-ins and such." Nel explained as she entered the cavern. "Be careful. There are monsters in this area." She warned, and instinctively, the boy reached for his sword, grasping the hilt nervously.

Her words proved to be prophetic as a large assortment of bats swooped down, screeching noisily.

A few swipes of knives and sword, plus a number of rapid punches drove them off, but the incident was enough to prove to Fayt that this was going to be dangerous.

A few monsters attacked them, but were quickly dispatched. The remainder got the message, and left the group alone. Everything seemed to be going smoothly...

Meaning that something was about to go wrong.

Something came in the form a large tremor rocking the tunnel, sending dust and debris crashing down around the trio. As they struggled to retain their footing, Cliff shouted, "That was no ordinary earthquake!"

To prove him correct, a massive, boulder-like creature crashed into ground directly in front of them. Twice as tall and far bigger than Cliff, its skin seemed made out of pure rock. It drew itself up, standing slightly hunched, before its fist lashed out with speed that belied its size.

In their own respective cultures, each let out a vehement oath as they dodged the attack. Cliff, being the fastest to recover, loosed a powerful combo of strikes that caused the monster to howl in agony, pulling its fist backwards.

Nel dove in, her knives flashing like quicksilver as they cut through the skin, but another angry screech and a vicious swipe forced her to pull back before any real damage could be caused.

With a yell, Fayt ran headlong, hacking away at the rock monster's stomach. After narrowly avoiding a blow from the creature, he lunged forward, ramming his sword into the monster's side.

A terrible scream tore itself from the monster's mouth, and out of rage, it backhanded the boy contemptuously, sending him flying into the dirt. A groan passed through his lips, and he lay there, barely conscious.

In a flash, Cliff and Nel both renewed their assault, more to keep the pressure off of Fayt than due to a drive to win. But the rock monster's raging strikes were effective at keeping them at bay, unable to do enough damage to bring it down.

From his position on the ground, Fayt staggered back to his feet, head ringing and muscles screaming. That awesome force that dwelled within him stirred, and was now begging to be loosed. It got its chance when Nel was knocked backwards, and Cliff sent crashing to the floor in a one-two combo by the rock beast.

Grabbing his suddenly lighter sword, he charged again, power coursing through his body. His movements were swift and decisive, hacking away at the beast with demonic speed. As it loosed a powerful uppercut, Fayt leapt to once side, and with incredible force, delivered a series of rapid fire kicks into the creature's side.

Audible snaps from the rock monster's bones breaking echoed around the chamber as it roared. Nel, taking advantage of the creature's lack of guard, unleashed a barrage of Ice Needles, furthering the beast's agony.

After a powerful combo to its solar plexus from Cliff and another series of hacks by Fayt, the monstrosity finally relinquished the fight and died.

Panting audibly, feeling the sweat roll down his back, the blue haired boy managed a gasped, "Didn't expect to run into something like that here."

"Kinda late for that now." Cliff noted sardonically. "Wonder if he's behind that cave-in?"

Brushing herself off and sheathing her knives, Nel commented, "It's a possibility. Don't let your guard down."

After the encounter with the rock monster, there did not seem to be any more truly threatening animals around. As they proceeded deeper into the tunnel, Fayt noticed a large wooden platform with a lever.

"What's that?" the Earthling asked, turning towards Nel, whose eyes brightened with relief.

"That will open the door." The spy replied, pointing towards a large wooden portal. "Now we need to find a hauler."

Before either Fayt or Cliff could ask what a Hauler was, Nel entered the next room, where a series of switches on another platform awaited.

"These will call different Haulers to us. We should take the regular kind." The redhead explained, flipping the center switch.

A low series of rumbles heralded the arrival of the Hauler, a green, turtle-like creature about the size of an elephant.

"Hop on boys." Nel said coyly, grinning as she began descending down the ladder.

* * *

Fayt breathed quietly in relief. Riding a Hauler was _not_ his favorite experience. Cliff chuckled, noticing the Earthling's discomfort, ignoring the slight glare the boy sent him. 

As they reached the end of the track, an old man in a soldier's uniform greeted them, eyes wide with shock. Nel inconspicuously reached for her knives. "You came through on this hauler!"as Fayt weakly nodded, the elderly man, in awe, shouted, "Amazing! There are monsters prowling about, and the whole place has fallen into disrepair. There's also been some terrible rock slides and holes have opened up in some of the tunnels. It's a complete mess in there."

The Earthling nodded somewhat uneasily, remembering the uneasy ride on the turtle. "Who are you?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." The man smiled warmly. "I'm Gregory von Dermein III, administer of these caverns. I'm a member of the Glyphian army."

"Gregory… Uhh..." Fayt stumbled over the name and over the fact that this was one of the soldiers who had been hunting him.

Laughing, Gregory said in a friendly tone, "Just 'Gregory' will do. I'm only a rank and file soldier. This is a job suited to an old man such as me. Not that I like being old, mind you..."

"How interesting…" the blue haired boy glanced at Nel, who had relaxed her guard. Obviously this one hadn't heard about the large search for the two "engineers".

"Whoops. There I go bellyaching again." Gregory said, a slight tone of self-depreciation in his voice. "Well now, if you made it here on that hauler, that must mean the tunnels are clear."

Fayt nodded. "There were a few dangerous parts, but nothing that prevented us from making it through."

"I see… Well then, I'll drive this one back. I was a fine hauler driver back in the day." He boasted proudly, grinning. His face turned serious for a moment. "There's a wide expanse of wildlands from here on. Be careful."

"Thanks. You too." Fayt replied, smiling slightly.

Gregory grunted, waving his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about me. I can still keep up with you youngsters."

* * *

Fayt panted, gazing from the hilltop where he had implanted his sword. "Is... is that it?" he asked, sucking in gasps of air. The day of constant travel and battle had worn his body down, which had not full recovered." 

Nel nodded in affirmation, not showing her own weariness. "Yes.. this is Arias."

As they descended into the town, Fayt felt a wave of sadness pass over him as he bore witness to a number of devastated homes. It reminded him far too much of Hyda IV...

The redhead noticed his gaze, and said quietly, "That happened during the Airyglyph attack." She paused, and jerked her head towards one of the intact buildings. "The large mansion in the middle of the town is our base of operations here. We'll check in there first."

Fayt stared at the manor as he entered, which looked like an archaic throw back to the Middle Ages. As he was ushered into the dining room, which served as a makeshift briefing room.

Inside, a conference was already taking place.

A gray haired young woman, who sat at the head of the table, nodded to the two subordinates. "Nice work, all. You are relieved."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes ma'am."

As they left, Nel glanced at the commander. "You're looking well."

The woman stood up, smiling widely, obvious relief on her face. "It's you! When did you return?"

"Just now, Clair." The redhead nodded, smiling back.

"Welcome home… Are you hurt?" Clair asked concernedly.

"I'm fine. I see you still worry too much." The spy replied, shaking her head in amusement.

"It's only because you're too reckless. If you don't want me to worry about you, try being a little more careful." The commander admonished.

Nel shrugged. "That's the line of work I'm in. It can't be helped."

"That may be so, still… Are these the ones?" the gray haired woman broke off, and glanced at Fayt and Cliff for the first time.

"That's right. They're engineers from Greeton." The redhead paused. "They're still reluctant to help us."

"I see…" Clair murmured, and stepped towards the two. "I'm commander Clair Lasbard of the Aquaria Runological Unit. I'm honored to meet you."

"The name's Cliff Fittir."

"I'm Fayt Leingod. Nice to meet you."

"I must apologize for forcing our problems on you. However…you must understand our situation." Clair said softly, more like a pleading woman than a military commander. As Fayt and Cliff began to speak, she raised her hand to silence them. "I would like to hear what you have to say, and I will provide a thorough explanation of our situation as well. But, you must be exhausted. Why don't we continue this tomorrow? You need your rest."

"That's right… He may seem fine now, but Fayt is still under the weather." Nel added in, glancing at the blue haired boy.

"I'm fine." Fayt said, almost growling.

Cliff slapped his back, causing him to stumble. "Hey, never pass up a chance to take it easy, kid. It was a real trek crossing those mountains."

The Earthling nodded reluctantly.

"There's a guest room upstairs on the second floor. Please feel free to use it." Clair paused and glanced at the redhead. "Nel, stay behind. We have much to discuss."

"Right."

As soon as the two left, Claire turned towards the spy. "What do you think about them?" she asked, both out of curiosity and military need.

"The blonde one, Cliff, is an enigma. He's obviously experienced in these matters, far more than an average Engineer. Something about him seems off... he's too fast, too strong to be normal."

"And the other one?" the gray haired woman questioned.

Sighing, Nel rested her back against the wall. "Fayt's not as strong or as fast as Cliff or myself. From what I can gather, he seems to be a relative amateur with the blade, though he does have some talent. But..." she paused, unsure how to phrase this. "There's something... _strange_ about him. His Runological powers, if it can be called that, are unnaturally strong, and he doesn't need runes to pull it off. It's like those powers are innately born into him."

Claire nodded, digesting the information carefully. "I see. We should watch that one closely, then."

The redhead nodded, and then looked piercingly at Claire. "There's something else I wanted to talk about."

"I know what you're going to say. And since I already know your mind is made up, the answer is yes."

With a grateful, yet grim smile, Nel left.

* * *

Cliff and Fayt had been admiring the nice view their room offered, and briefly discussing their next move. Afterwards, the Klausian glanced at the younger boy. "Well? You gonna go to sleep now?" 

Nodding, Fayt yawned loudly. "I'm getting kinda sleepy. The sun's still out, but I think I'll get some extra sleep in preparation for tomorrow."

"That's what I'd hoped you'd say. I don't want you collapsing and making all sorts of trouble for me." Cliff grinned. "Though trouble seems to follow you anyway."

The Earthling shook his head, a slight, wry smile on his face. "I'm not a rough-and-tumble guy like you, Cliff."

* * *

The door creaked open softly, barely audible. 

Cliff cracked one eye open, his light sleep easily disturbed due to years of combat.

Standing in the doorway, shrouded in light, Nel bowed, and left without a word.

Filing this knowledge away later, the Klausian fell back into sleep.

* * *

"I have a feeling things are gonna get hectic today." Cliff announced nonchalantly, stretching in the morning sun. 

Fayt paused, glancing curiously at the blonde. "Why do you say that? How do you know?" he accused, narrowing his eyes.

Biting back a smile at the boy's instincts, the Klausian shrugged. "Just…a hunch."

The Earthling rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Oh, we know all about those…"

"Yer a real comedian, aren't ya?" Cliff remarked sardonically.

After grabbing a bite to eat, the two entered the conference room.

"Fayt, Cliff." Clair greeted, bowing respectfully. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you kindly." Cliff said, surprisingly easing into a polite etiquette.

"I'm glad to hear it. Right, let us begin the negotiations." The gray haired commander nodded, gesturing for them to take a seat. "Please, sit anywhere you like."

Fayt paused, and noticed someone missing. "Um… Where's Nel?"

Clair seemed thrown by the question, and looked decidedly uncomfortable. "She's… Uh… She had other duties to attend to." She replied lamely. At seeing Fayt's skeptical look, she added, "Don't worry, I'm taking over her duties as far as you two are concerned."

"Well, all right…" Fayt trailed off, accepting but not quite trusting Clair's evasive answer.

"Let's begin. I don't know what you discussed with Nel and the others, but you are now in Aquaria territory. Even if you refuse to assist us, I can guarantee your safety. We will have to retain custody of you until we reach the royal city of Aquios, but you may provide us with your answer at that point." As she finished, Fayt and even Cliff were gaping. They had been expecting a "Join us or die" attitude, not this accommodating, even generous gesture.

Cliff whistled appreciatively. "You're really bending over backwards to meet us halfway. You should've heard Nel!"

Clair seemed amused by the remark, rather than offended. "Nel is very frank. Although she is extremely skilled, as I am sure you have noticed, she tends to be rather inflexible at times. It can be…problematic." She finished wryly, smiling.

"Yeah, I know the type: mission, mission, always the mission." The Klausian nodded, leaning into his chair.

The commander paused, and added her own opinions. "To be honest, I, too, would like you to work for us, but I realize this is not your war. Our deaths, and the life of our country, are not in your hands—you need feel no obligation, and we have no right to force you to help."

"Now you're making me feel guilty." Cliff remarked truthfully, and Fayt privately agreed. His own thoughts were trained on rescuing his father, and getting back to his family and Sophia "So what do you wanna do? It looks like they'll let us go after we reach Aquios, anyway." The blonde looked over at Fayt questioningly.

The boy closed his eyes, leaning against the chair. His face was troubled.

"Is something wrong?" the commander questioned.

"No, it's nothing…" Fayt said quietly.

"If you have any questions, I will answer to the best of my abilities." Clair assured.

A flicker of hesitation gave the Earthling pause, but he pushed on. "All right, then I'll ask. What is Nel's new mission?"

Clair seemed thrown by the question, and more than a little curious. "Why would you ask that? She is no longer your concern."

"She told us her mission was to take both of us safely to the royal city! How could she just leave us here..." Fayt cut himself off, wondering exactly why this was troubling him so. Nel had been cold and brash for most of their time together, but he admired her strength, and considered her a sort of friend.

"To you, it appears that she has abandoned her mission?" the gray haired commander supplied, casting her eyes over the boy.

"Well…yes. I didn't know her long, but I got the impression that she would never leave a mission incomplete." Fayt finished, scratching the back of his head.

While Clair digested the words of the young man, Cliff cut in. "She went to rescue Tynave and Farleen, didn't she?" while phrased as a question, it was obvious that the words were true.

The words sent the room into an uproar.

"What?"

"Lady Clair, is this true?"

Ignoring the questions, Clair stared straight at Cliff piercingly. "Why would you think that?"

"Last night… She came to our room." The blonde replied, somewhat hesitantly. At Fayt's curious look, he added, "While you were snoring like a babe. I was wondering what she wanted, but all she did was bow and leave without saying a word. I was pretending to be asleep, so I didn't think she realized I was watching her. It makes sense, though, considering the situation. That's probably what you overheard them talking about in Kirlsa."

"Is that true, Clair? I can't believe it!" Fayt stared at the commander with outright shock, unable to comprehend.

"Yes. It is…" Clair sighed. "She left to rescue Tynave and Farleen."

"If you knew what she was doing, why don't you stop her!" Fayt shouted, standing up violently.

"We all have our missions: mine's to bring you back to our leader. And I stick to my missions." Clair said firmly, unflinchingly. As the boy continued to protest, she sighed again. "All right, I will explain. Around the time you arrived in Kirlsa, we received a message from Airyglyph. They told us that the two women are hostages, and they demanded you in exchange. This is not possible… So she went to rescue them."

"But… All by herself…?" Fayt whispered, sinking back into his chair wearily.

"That's Nel for you." The commander remarked sadly.

"Why didn't she tell us? We'd have gone with her!" one soldier protested.

"Perhaps because of the odds of her success are essentially zero. She'll likely walk into an Airyglyph trap. I tried to stop her, but…there was no way. Nel would never abandon those who work for her." Clair finished with a mixture of pride and sorrow, shaking her head.

"She pretends to be all business, but she's the type that can't let go." Cliff muttered, shaking his head as well.

"At any rate, that is our situation. Please do not worry about Nel. We must hurry on to Aquios. Although this is a relatively safe area, nowhere is completely safe."

Fayt didn't even hear the words, lost in his own thoughts. Nel, after all her talk about sacrifice and doing what was necessary, was going to throw her life away. His fist clenched, and his eyes narrowed in determination. "Where'd they demand it take place?" he nearly growled, and even Cliff seemed thrown by his tone, if not his question.

"Why do you want to know that?" Clair asked curiously. "It is not your problem."

"I can't let her do this. Her life is more valuable than that. Do people really think the only way to end this war is to throw away their own lives? I'm going after Nel. I have a few words to say to her!" Fayt said angrily, once more standing up.

Cliff grinned appreciatively and stood up as well. "All right Fayt! I was waiting for you to say that."

"I cannot allow this!" Clair shouted, slamming her fist on the table. " Nel told us of your skills, but this enemy is too strong, even for you!"

The Klausian simply huffed. "Don't worry about us. I don't know what she told you, but we can fend for ourselves! And besides, when he gets riled up like this, Fayt can get even nastier than Nel. He's the most stubborn, hardcore kid around." Fayt blinked at the remark, but Cliff merely grinned.

Clair sighed. "In that case… I'll send some soldiers with you."

"No need." Cliff said dismissively. "We'll just be asking for them to spot us if we march in

there with an army. We'll be more maneuverable in small numbers. And…I doubt you can spare the guards, given your situation." His words were persuasive and well argued, so much so that Fayt was forced to remember that Quark often skirmished with larger, more powerful Federation fleets.

"That's true, but…"

"Nel trusted us; you should, too." Cliff cut in smoothly, and Fayt nodded in agreement, before turning towards the commander again.

"Clair, where are they bringing the hostages to trade?"

"A building on the southeastern side of Kirlsa. It was originally constructed as a training facility, but now they execute people there. It's also the base of the heavy cavalry Black Brigade, one of Airyglyph's three military units."

"How do we get there?" Cliff asked, eyes sharp.

"Return to Kirlsa, then follow the road from the south gate of the city and you'll find it. I think you'll get there faster if you avoid the mountain road you took before, and take the south gate from Arias, head across the wilderness, and enter Kirlsa from that direction." Clair explained.

Cliff and Fayt nodded, and the boy looked at the older man. "We in this together?"

The Klausian chuckled, and messed up Fayt's blue hair. "Of course, kid. Besides," he added, "How could I let you run around on your own? You cause enough trouble as it is."

Fayt grumbled, something about how he hadn't been in too much trouble till he met Cliff. As they turned to leave, Clair spoke up.

"Please, wait a moment." She approached Fayt, looking him directly in the eye, almost pleadingly. "Be very careful. Their lives are in your hands." She bowed, deeper this time, filled with gratefulness and respect.

"Leave it to us." Cliff assured, smiling.

"Don't worry, we'll bring them home. Forgive me if I give Nel a good smack for this." Fayt added. And with that, they turned and left.

Clair looked on after them in a mixture of wonder and awe.

"Do you really think they can do it?" one of the soldiers asked skeptically.

"They have sincerity and determination." Clair replied calmly, still staring at the door. "And that boy, Fayt... he has a strength that is beyond any I have ever seen. They will do it... I just hope they can get there in time."

* * *

Review Response 

gleenthefrog- I will be including their parts, but I'm not good with writing them in, and if I have all the characters, I'll lose focus on each character.

Sahagiel89- I understand your concern, and I am really hoping to get through the early chapters so I can deviate. I will be altering things, but I need to get the plot grounded and advanced.

Z.A.G. - I'll be trying to include more of that, especially once they rescue Nel.

Fortex- That is true. Nel spends the most game time with Fayt, though Sophia is his childhood friend. I'll try to be including moments for each couple.

Lord Strife- I've only read up to the second volume of the Star Ocean manga, but yeah, it looks that way. Sophia is such a schemer, isn't she?

Jay- I like your argument, and it is well grounded. We'll see where this goes.

Nasuren- That's true, after all, the Inquistor is a position, not a person. Now, I am thinking about creating three separate endings for each girl, but we will have to see what happens.

And also thanks to Goldamon X, asga, darkangelgep, Padawan Anakin, PGW-Chaos, mr-myth310, Macky, Kinzoku, and Scotty Boi for reviewing!

AN: Sorry for the delay. No excuses. I'll try and be faster with the next one.


	7. Chapter 7 CrossPurposes

Disclaimer- I don't own Star Ocean. It is the property of the great Square-Enix and Tri-Ace.

Author's Notes

Now, this is hugely important.

I'm taking a lot of the romance element out. As in, no more love triangles or anything like that. There will be a pairing, but just one.

Before you kill me, let me explain. This story has a lot of heavy overtones, and tries to set a darker mood than a light hearted romance can take. Now, if you still want something like that, please check out my other Star Ocean fic, which is my apology to all of you.

Okay, that's done. Onto the long delayed chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7 Cross-Purposes

Sophia blinked slowly, her eyelids unusually heavy. Her arms were being carried roughly on two unfamiliar shoulders.

She lifted her head up, and barely suppressed a scream. The deathly pale faces of the Vendeen stared emotionlessly down at her. Before she could struggle, a door opened with a sudden whoosh, and she was hurled into the darkness.

For a moment, she simply laid there, in the quiet dark.

And then two arms encircled her, and drew her into the shadows, ignoring her screams.

It was with fierce determination that Fayt stepped out of Arias. For the first time since he landed, he was going where _he_ wanted to, doing something _he_ wanted to do. He wasn't running for his life, or hiding from people he'd never heard of till that day.

He was taking the fight to the enemy.

It was a refreshing feeling, to say the least.

Cliff noted the suddenly renewed vigor of the Earthling with amusement and admiration. A kid after his own heart, really. One who did what he wanted to do and nothing would stop him from doing it.

They passed through the way to Kirlsa easily, which made Fayt realize how easy everything would have been if they hadn't been forced to pass through the mines.

Before they reentered the town, Fayt felt a twinge of worry however, and paused within viewing distance of the gates.

"What's up?" Cliff asked, noticing the sudden stop and the frown that dominated the teen's face.

"What if they're waiting for us in Kirlsa?" Fayt questioned worriedly, biting his lip and clenching his fists.

The Klausian paused, cursing himself. He had been too caught up in wondering how Fayt would react and how they would rescue Nel to remember that an entire army was searching for them. "Good point... we'll have to move as quickly as possible through it." He paused, and then smirked at Fayt. "Of course, with your luck, we'll end up in the middle of their training ground..."

He laughed as the younger man took a swing at him.

* * *

"Any word from the _Eagle_ yet?" the young woman asked, seated in the command chair.

A brown haired bridge officer shook her head. "Not yet ma'am." She turned towards her. "Do you think they hit a snag?"

The commander sighed deeply. "Knowing Cliff, it's likely." She frowned, and cursed under her breath, rubbing her temple.

Just as _he_ was in her grasp, the damnable Vendeen decide to drop in and make their appearance.

Quark didn't have the resources to battle that sort of enemy... this was going to be tricky.

"Any further orders, ma'am?" the officer asked, glancing back at her somber faced commander.

"Continue monitoring all channels and scanning. We have to find them."

* * *

Fayt's instincts proved to be correct as a patrol of guards wandered the streets of Kirlsa, eyeing each and every person on the street with cold suspicion. Before they could spot the teen, Fayt ducked his head back into the alley.

"We could take them." He muttered, reaching for his sword, but the blonde gripped his hand tightly.

"Don't be an idiot." Cliff hissed reproachfully, "We can't risk fighting in the middle of a street."

Whirling on him, the Earthling asked harshly, "Then what do you suggest?"

Instead of getting angry, the Klausian grinned, and reached over to a loose brick that lay on the ground. At Fayt's perplexed look, Cliff tossed the shale, and caught it in one movement.

Then he got it.

"Oh."

* * *

Kaji Ryouji hated grunt work. He much preferred spending his days in the local tavern, drinking and having his way with the local women. But unfortunately, being part of the Black Brigade was not all about slaughter and mayhem.

Which was why he was out here, in full armor in the blazing sun, watching out for two escaped prisoners.

"Why are we bothering? Those damn cowards are probably hiding theirs tails in Aquaria by now." His partner, Hiei grumbled, shifting his spear slightly.

Kaji shook his head, and with a condescending voice, responded, "You just don't get those Aquarian wenches, Hiei. We've got two of theirs, and they'd rather kill themselves then leave someone behind."

The man snorted loudly, snickering. "Imagine Lord Albel... I doubt he would even realize he left someone behind."

"No, he'd probably kill them himself, call them 'weak worms.'" Kaji said, mock sneering in the way that their commander would.

Before the two could breach military protocol any more, a loud shout of pain caused them to stop.

The culprit, a burly, tall man, glared at another man. "You bastard! You threw that brick at me!"

"You're crazy!" the other, lankier man shouted, and the villagers began to crowd around the two men, sensing a fight.

"You threw it because you're jealous of me! You've always wanted my money!" the taller man snarled.

"Jealous, like hell!" with that, the smaller man hurled himself forward, tackling the burly one and the fight was on.

In unison, Kaji and Hiei rolled their eyes and moved in to break up the fight, not noticing the two figures slowly sneaking off in the direction of the gate.

* * *

As soon as they were out of sight of the Kirlsa gates, Fayt finally burst out laughing, holding his sides. "That... was brilliant, Cliff."

The blonde grinned. "See, if you'd just listen to me, then we'd be much better off."

Rolling his eyes, Fayt merely replied, "Sure..."

After an hour of traveling in the dusty, hot road, they arrived at a massive stone structure. Cliff eyed it warily, glancing in every direction before stating cautiously, "No one's here. I wonder if we're too late?"

"Don't say that." Fayt snapped worriedly.

In a sort of odd reassurance, a trio of armored soldiers appeared at the entrance, swords raised.

"Get them!" the lead one snarled, and they charged.

"Well, look's like someone's home." Cliff shouted, and launched himself forward, propelling his fist into his opponent's skull, driving the metal of the helmet inward.

Even as the Klausian's foe dropped, Fayt had dodged a sword thrust and rammed his own blade into the guard's stomach. He winced as the blood flowed over his fingers, finding himself strangely numb.

The last one, upon watching his comrades fall so quickly, ran back inside.

"What a bunch of pushovers. It'll be smooth sailing if they're all that easy." Cliff said, brushing his hands off nonchalantly.

"One of them got away, remember? They know we're coming." Fayt warned.

"I know, I know! Who do you think I am, anyway?" the Klausian responded, annoyed.

"You're Cliff, of course."

"And just what does that mean!"

* * *

Deep within the fortress, a man raged and stormed. Shelby, second in command of the Black Brigade, was furious. "Where is the other Crimson Blade spy? Capture her, you bumbling fools!" he grabbed the collar of the other man, his face shadowed as the torches whipped wildly, corresponding to the commander's ire.

"We're sorry, My Lord. We had her cornered, but she put up quite a fight…" the knight responded hesitantly.

"I ordered you to apprehend her, not admire the bitch!" Shelby snarled, shoving him backwards, and looked as though he might strike the other man. "Go and find her!"

"Yes, m'Lord!"

As the first knight left, a second guard ran into the room. "Sir Shelby!"

"What is it? You've got the Crimson Blade spy?" the commander asked eagerly, eyes glittering with dark anticipation, mood changing entirely.

Stuttering quietly, the newcomer reported, "No, Sir…a report—and a missive from Duke Vox."

Pausing, Shelby rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "From the Captain of the Dragon Brigade?" with a dismissive snort, he ordered, "Give me your report first. I'll hear what the old man has to say later."

"Our sentries have spotted two suspicious men within the compound. Based on our intelligence, they might be the two escapees…" the knight trailed off at the look on the commander's face.

"Hmm…so they've come to the rescue, too? This is unexpected. I thought sending only one Crimson Blade was a bit light. The compassion of these followers of Apris is really playing into our hands. Find and capture them all. Or you will find just how little mercy I hold." Shelby's voice was colder than an Airyglyphian winter.

The knight saluted. "Yes, m'Lord, and here…the missive." Hesitantly he pressed it into the large man's palm.

Lazily, Shelby's eyes scanned the parchment, narrowed, and crumpled it up with a loud laugh.

"What is it, Sir Shelby?"

"Aha ha ha ha! This is rich! It seems our esteemed _captain _will not be back for some time." The commander's eyes glittered with cunning.

"Our Captain? But why?" the soldier asked, confused.

"Seems the Captain of the Dragon Brigade has little love for our captain…Albel is being detained a while. We're supposed to take care of things in the meantime." The grin made it clear what sort of things he would take care of.

"By capturing the two escapees before Sir Albel returns, m'Lord will get all the credit. With such accolades, you might even be promoted to captain yourself!" the knight could not help but be excited. Power hungry as Shelby was, he at least knew friend from foe, unlike the bloodthirsty Albel the Wicked.

"Exactly. Our prey is now within grasp. We must act quickly-before he returns! Don't kill the escapees. They must be taken alive!" Shelby insisted, his fist clenching and waving in the air to illustrate his point.

* * *

Meanwhile, the escapees in question were ducking through corridors and generally tearing through any and all opposition they encountered, not having the problem of taking any prisoners.

However, even the mightiest warriors get tired, and after fighting their way through three floors of relentless guards, Fayt and Cliff were tiring (though Cliff was in far better shape).

So it was with great apprehension that they heard the loud metal clanks and clunks of yet _another _squad of soldiers, this group far larger than the previous ones, judging from the amount of noises and cursing the knights were creating.

"Shit. We don't have time for this!" Fayt swore, clutching his blade in calloused fingers which were stained with red. "We can't waste any more time!"

Cliff, meanwhile, was keeping his head, craning his neck for any way of escaping this battle. After a moment, his eyes fell upon a small wooden door.

"There! Move!" the Klausian barked, grabbing Fayt's shirt and hauling him into the room.

With careful ease, he shut the door behind them, keeping his eyes forward, hoping he hadn't led them into a trap.

Luckily, their stream of bad luck seemed to have finally broken, and only a nearly deserted kitchen awaited them, the other occupants too busy hustling about to notice them, save a single young woman.

Flushed at the young man who was a notch above the crude, battle scarred knights who normally frequented the kitchens, she shuffled slowly towards them, face flaming red.

Fayt was also a great deal more naive than the knights, and glanced at her with mild curiosity. Seeing as she wasn't acting afraid or hostile, he took a chance. "Have you seen a woman with red hair anywhere around here?" he asked.

Behind him, Cliff rolled his eyes. _Someone has got to teach this kid the ropes._

Nodding earnestly, she replied eagerly, "Oh yes! I saw someone heading for the rooftop earlier. You'll need this key to access the elevator. Please take it!" she pressed a shining brass key into his palms, smiling winningly.

The rather dense Fayt looked absolutely perplexed. "You sure I can have it?"

With another nod and adoring eyes, she nodded again.

As they left, Cliff muttered, "Kid's as dumb as a rock sometimes..."

* * *

A hiss, like a serpent's breath echoed throughout the bridge.

"What is it?" the voice was harsh and demanding, expecting total obedience.

"Captain. We've tracked the location of the boy to a planet by the name of Elicoor II."

"Excellent."

"Will you go yourself, sir?"

"Of course."

A feral, shark-like smile crossed Captain Biwig's face.

"Set a course for Elicoor II."

* * *

"So where do you think the elevator is?" Fayt asked, glancing at Cliff, who was busy checking around the corner.

"I saw a locked door back where we came in. I've got a hunch that's where it is." The Klausian replied, keeping his eyes peered around the corner.

"A hunch, huh?" Fayt said disbelievingly, but said nothing else, gripping the handle of his blade tightly with calloused hands, slightly blistered.

They avoided, through Cliff's excellent hearing and reflexes, any confrontations with the guards on their way back down through the third and second floors, but, as with everything, luck runs out.

"There they are!" a loud, harsh voice crowed, and the distinct clinks of blades unsheathed echoed throughout the chamber.

"Crap." Cliff cursed, and whirled around, launching forward before Fayt could make a step, sending his fist crashing into the knight's helm, sending the guard crashing to the floor.

It was too late, even as the heavy thud of the metal armor of the felled knight burst through the corridors, several others had already arrived.

The blade of the first cleaved through the air with a whistling snarl, and Cliff narrowly avoided being sliced, retaliating with a series of powerful blows to the guard's solar plexus.

Fayt crossed swords with another knight, sparks flying dangerously towards his face as sweat rolled down like a heavy rain. The empty metal face of his opponent was like a cruel machine.

Slowly, his enemy's superior strength, experience, and skill began to show through, and the teenager found his feet losing their ground, giving way. Gritting his teeth, Fayt attempted a maneuver he had done several times in simulation; he spun away, letting his opponent's superior strength be a weakness.

The knight stumbled forward, off balance, and Fayt rammed his blade between the guard's shoulders.

Before he could regain his breath, a second knight charged him, lunging forward with a powerful thrust. Again, Fayt reacted, parrying the blow and skewering the enemy.

Cliff dispatched the final two guards with a roundhouse kick and a left hook, respectively.

"We'd better hurry." Fayt said grimly, and the Klausian nodded.

They ran, trying to make sure they didn't wear themselves out by at the same time, hurrying as fast as they could. A paradox, to be sure.

Still, only moderately out of breath, they made it to the elevator room. There, they finally tracked down their missing comrade/captor/friend.

Along with a nice bevy of Black Brigade soldiers, of course.

She fought valiantly, her knives were flashing silver lightning, leaving nothing but crimson rain in her wake. After a moment of tearing through the soldiers, she leapt backwards, and the familiar rune circle of Symbology circumscribed about her hand. "Ice needles!"

Six inch long ice shards tore through the air, stabbing and wounding several more knights, leaving a trail of withering frost in their wake.

"Well, let's be heroes!" Cliff shouted, voice filled with bravado as he charged the first guard, ramming his fist into the soldier's back.

Fayt, meanwhile, lunged forward, sweeping his sword through the back of a knight.

The sudden attack left the soldiers temporarily addled, and Nel was quick to take advantage, slicing the throat out of one unlucky man. "Fayt! Cliff! What are you doing here!" she shouted, looking bewildered.

"Fight first! Talk later!" Cliff responded, crashing a double fisted attack into the chest of his opponent.

While both Fayt and Cliff were tired from their earlier battles, Nel had been fighting much longer and without backup. Her exhaustion was beginning to show through, as a knight sliced her shoulder with a wicked swing.

Nel staggered backwards, dropping one dagger and clutching the bleeding arm with her other hand. The soldier raised his sword for the kill.

"Damn it!" Cliff swore, bulldozing two knights with a charge, but he knew he wouldn't be fast enough.

Fayt watched with horrified eyes, wide and frightened like a rabbit's. "No!" he raised his arm, and again, a surge of power came forth from deep within, filled with divine wrath. Like Nel's, his hand became encircled by a Symbological circle, glowing with power. "Lightning Bolt!"

A jagged bolt of thunder tore through the air, leaving crackling air and ozone in its wake as it slammed into the back of the soldier.

The guard gave one strangled, awful scream before he collapsed, stinking of seared flesh.

Cliff, taking advantage of the surprise created, dispatched the last two with a series of lightning quick combos, sending both crumpling to the floor.

And then it was over, with the three of them reunited above the bodies of their fallen foes.

* * *

Sophia struggled, ramming her elbows backwards, her mouth open and trying and failing to scream. Her vision began to blur as panic set in.

Then, a hand placed itself reassuringly on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Shhh... its me, Sophia!" the voice said hurriedly, whispering in the dark.

Her struggles ceased immediately, and she stopped. The arms let go of her, and she turned around, a face coming visible through the darkness.

A very familiar face.

Blinking, completely taken aback, Sophia stuttered, "U-Uncle Robert?"

* * *

"Why did you come? If you'd gone to Aquios you would have been free!" Nel shouted, looking at them with angry concern. This was her fight, her mission. Not theirs.

"We know." Fayt replied, causing the redhead's mouth to open and close in astonishment. "Clair told us."

"Then why!" the Crimson Blade argued, glaring at them both with righteous fury.

"You were the one charged with bringing us to Aquios. You were the one who was supposed to take us there." Fayt replied stubbornly, looking her straight in the eye with angry emeralds. "I thought you weren't the type of person to neglect their duty."

As if she had been struck, Nel staggered backwards, unresponsive.

"Yeah, what he said. Besides, I didn't appreciate the fact you left without saying goodbye." Cliff added, looking at her with a mixture of amusement and sincerity.

"Cliff... Fayt..." Nel said softly, looking at each of them in turn.

Shaking his head, Fayt said dismissively, "We'll give you a piece of our minds later. Let's rescue Tynave and Farleen first."

"Now that there's three of us, it'll be cake." Cliff said reassuringly, grinning.

Nel paused, still looking at the two of them. After a moment, she smiled.

"Thanks guys."

* * *

"Well, well, well. What's this?" Albel Nox drawled, kicking the corpse of one of his subordinates, turning the body over. The man's helmet had been bashed into his skull, driving deep into his brain.

Nearby, another man had a sword wound in his gut, and was still clinging pathetically to life. "Plea-please... help me..." he rasped pitifully, reaching out for the swordsman's feet.

With a contemptuous snarl, Albel drove his sword into the man's throat, ignoring the blood that spattered on the floor like weak rain.

"I knew these fools couldn't be trusted on their own." He muttered, releasing his sword from the soldier's now open throat and sheathing it.

Still, whoever attacked was gutsy, and obviously had some skill.

Albel's lip curled. "This should be interesting."

At the very least, it could afford him some small amusement.

* * *

They made it up to the top floor without incident, thankfully enough. As they stepped out into the now unfamiliar shining, beating sun, Nel spotted two familiar heads of hair, strapped to the wall.

"Look!" Nel shouted, racing towards the two. "Tynave! Farleen!"

They looked decidedly worse for the wear, each of them badly bruised and cut in several places. Tynave had a swollen eye and a trickle of blood down her nose, while Farleen had a nasty gash on her arm.

Cliff hung back, looking around with wary eyes. "Man, this is just too obvious."

Fayt, meanwhile, plowed onward, rushing to their sides. "Tynave, Farleen! We're here to help!"

Farleen made a few indistinct mumbles, and lolled her head to the side.

Tynave looked at them with bleary eyes, a look of disbelief on her face. "What are you doing here..." she said weakly.

"We'll get you out of here!" Fayt promised desperately, looking for a way to get them down.

Suddenly, Tynave seemed to spring to life. "No, run! It's a trap!" she shouted, her voice echoing across the arena.

Farleen looked up with tired, weakened eyes. "She's right… They're hiding…behind those pillars..." she whispered, and seemed to be drained from the effort.

Almost immediately, a trio of soldiers raced towards them, charging with blades held high in the glimmering sun.

"Fayt! Protect Tynave and Farleen!" Cliff shouted, plowing his fist with brutal intensity into the chest of the knight, sending a trickle of blood from the opponent's mouth.

Fayt parried a blow from the second soldier, making sure to be between them and the girls.

"R-run..." Farleen murmured, barely audible from its weak tone. It was like the mewl of a dying animal.

If anything, it made Fayt's resolve stronger, his anger more intense. "You hurt my friends!" he snarled, and shoved the knight backwards with a furious shout and then thrusting forward, impaling the knight.

Nel decapitated the final guard with a single, swift movement, but she panted and fell to one knee, dripping with sweat and out of breath from the effort.

Fayt and Cliff quickly untied Farleen and Tynave, trying to do so as hurriedly as possible, lest more Black Brigade soldiers arrive.

"Are you okay?" Fayt asked, concerned as he supported Tynave with his shoulder.

"Thank you so much." She whispered tiredly, looking at him with such gratefulness that, for a moment, his exhaustion seemed to fade away.

"I'm okay. The pain's…not too bad." Farleen added, supported by Cliff and Nel. "Thank you for coming..."

"Don't worry about it. If you're going to thank anyone, thank them." Nel responded, looking at the two of them with thankfulness.

"It was nothin'." Cliff shrugged.

"Our pleasure." Fayt chimed in, grinning tiredly.

"Let's get the hell out of here." The Klausian grunted, and began moving towards the door. However, before he had gotten very far, he paused. As Fayt looked at him questioningly, he said quietly, "I can feel the hairs standing on the back of my neck."

"Someone's coming." Nel agreed, unsheathing her knives. She wanted to use her Healing spell on Tynave and Farleen, as well as Cliff, Fayt, and herself, but chances were, she'd be better off using it to fight whoever was coming.

A behemoth of a man, crowned by dull gray hair and clad in wicked looking armor stepped forward, wielding a massive, double-headed axe that glittered darkly in the sunlight. He was flanked by two more soldiers. "So it's you! The two who were in that strange object that fell in Airyglyph!" his voice was haughty and eager, as though he had already won the fight.

Cliff felt the tiredness in his muscles and knew they were in for a difficult fight. "So what if we are?" he challenged, more to try and stall than anything else.

"Surrender peacefully, and I shall spare your lives." The man commanded, his voice arrogant.

"Who the hell are you!" Fayt demanded in reply, gripping his sword in exhausted arms. It felt like a lead weight.

"I am Shelby." The man said, inclining his head slightly, a malicious grin spreading on his face. "Lieutenant of the Black Brigade, soon to be Captain by the looks of things. You should curse your luck for falling into my hands."

"Damn!" Nel swore, crouching low.

"Is he dangerous?" Fayt asked, not daring to take his eyes off of Shelby.

Nel nodded. "Yeah… He's the Black Brigade's second in command. They didn't leave him here for nothing!"

"I can see that." Cliff agreed tensely, eyeing up the Lieutenant with wary eyes. "He looks way too powerful to be some watchdog. Not like the last bunch."

"Of course, we'll only spare the two men. The women may die." Shelby smiled wickedly.

Fayt stepped forward, glaring with fists clenched. "Over my dead body!" he snarled, placing his blade in front of him.

Unaffected, Shelby shook his head, smirking. "If it comes to that, yes. Now, come quietly…"

"Come quietly my ass! Just try and kill me." Cliff challenged, stepping forward, cracking his knuckles and his neck slowly.

"You'll regret those words." Shelby said dangerously, narrowing his eyes. The two soldiers next to him stepped forward.

"You first." The Klausian replied in a cocky tone.

"Tynave, Farleen! You two stand back." Nel ordered, raising her blades. She frowned, realizing just how heavy her weapons felt in her arms.

"Kill the women. Make sure the other two are sufficiently beaten." Shelby commanded, raising his brutal looking weapon.

Cliff gave a snarl and lunged forward, fists flashing.

With a superior smirk, the Lieutenant merely twisted his wrist, using the massive blade of his axe to deflect the Klausian's assault. The blade reverberated under the assault, letting out a harsh cry of contempt.

A surprised look crossed Cliff's face, and he barely hurled himself backwards, avoiding being cleaved apart by Shelby.

Nel lunged forward, knives flashing, but the soldier on the left intercepted her, meeting her two blades with his one. Airyglyphian and Aquarian strained against one another bitterly.

Fayt charged, blade upraised, only to have his sword parried by the second knight.

"I must say, I thought you'd put up a bit more fight than _this_." Shelby drawled, twirling his great axe. "Have at ye!" suddenly he was spinning, and the massive weapon tore through the air with an angry whistle.

Cliff realized just how much of a disadvantage he was in this situation as he was again forced to dodge, and then duck and weave. His fists were near useless against the massive weapon, unless he could get under Shelby's guard.

As much as he hated to, he knew he had to have back up. Or even worse, to switch off.

Luckily, Fayt managed to finish off his opponent with a kick to the chest and blade to the throat.

He was getting used to killing, Fayt noticed in a detached manner. It wasn't something he particularly liked.

The teenager intercepted a blow that would have seriously wounded Cliff, staggering backwards from the force of Shelby's strike.

"Don't get close!" Cliff shouted, leaping backwards again to avoid being sliced apart.

Frowning, Fayt too, dodged away, and raised his hand shakily towards Shelby, who was attempting to turn Cliff into shish kabob.

_Please work..._ he pleaded mentally, and closed his eyes. "Lightning Bolt!"

The jagged white line soared through the air to strike Shelby in the back, lighting up the world with ozone and shine.

The Lieutenant screamed, and staggered forward drunkenly. Rage and hatred flickered in his eyes as he turned towards Fayt. There was no longer any arrogance, it was stripped of all propriety. It was the face of a killer.

"You little bastard! I'll murder you!" he roared, raising the axe.

"Fayt! Move!" Nel shouted, still struggling with her opponent and her own exhaustion.

To his credit, Fayt managed a few skillful parries and dodges, but Shelby was an experienced, battle-hardened warrior with years of combat.

Within moments, Fayt was clutching his bleeding sword arm, feeling the warm blood on his numb fingers as it dripped onto his blade.

"DIE!" Shelby roared again, and Fayt's half-hearted block was easily overpowered, sending the boy crashing to the floor, bleeding and barely conscious.

"Damn it kid! Move!" Cliff shouted, running towards the Earthling. However, the remaining soldier kicked Nel in the stomach, sending the redhead tumbling into the Klausian.

Time slowed down again.

A vicious pounding drum beat in Fayt's ears, and he watched in an out of body point of view as Shelby prepared to split his skull open.

-_I won't die here-_

The man roared, spittle flying from his mouth as the axe pulled back, behind the Lieutenant's head.

-_I won't die here-_

"ROT IN HELL BOY!"

-_I WON'T DIE HERE-_

"BLAZING SWORD!" suddenly, the fires of Hell itself it seemed wrapped around Fayt, forcing Shelby, even in his berserk state of mind, to stagger backwards in fear.

His emerald eyes seemed to burn with divine fury as he stood again, seemingly taller, stronger, as though he were a demigod come crashing down to this earth.

The fire wreathed itself around his sword, flickering indigo and crimson, burning like the sun. "I won't die here." Fayt said quietly, and charged.

"What the Hell are you!" Shelby demanded, blocking with his axe, but suddenly the teen's strength had increased exponentially, and the fires continued to stab at him, seemingly trying to get at him off their own accord. His blade heated up, and he felt his face begin to burn and blister.

Instead of answering, Fayt's eyes narrowed, and suddenly the blaze became an inferno, and with a single push, Shelby's axe was cleaved in half, both metal parts still red hot from Fayt's sword.

"N–" the protest died on Shelby's lips as the sword tore into his chest and scourged the wound with its Hellfire.

With a slump, Shelby, Lieutenant of the Black Brigade, was dead.

Fayt fell to his knees, his blade acting like a staff as he leaned upon it heavily. Once more, the power within receded, an ebb and flow of divine madness.

The final soldier stood there, stunned, until Cliff delivered a stinging uppercut, finishing the fight.

They stood there, victorious, silent and weary, exhausted.

"That was utterly pathetic." A voice drawled, up above, laced with arrogant contempt.

For once, Cliff seemed truly surprised, and his head jerked up swiftly, eyes narrowed at the newcomer. _How the Hell did he sneak up on me like that?_ he wondered, clenching his fists.

The swordsman was a far cry from the Black Brigade soldiers they had fought before. He was slender, with a slight build and long black hair that had streaks of grassy gold at its tips. A metal arm hung loosely at his side, and his other hand was carelessly gripping the scabbard of his katana. His blood red eyes glimmered in the morning sun, full of malice.

"So this is what Shelby was up to. Arrogant bastard," he sneered, "Always strutting, preening his feathers, but to lose to the likes of you?" the man seemed almost amused, and his face twisted into a sick grin. "Once a maggot himself... now he's food for the maggots."

While Fayt was distracted by how much contempt the man seemed to hold for the dead and for everyone else, Nel sucked in a breath, horrible realization creeping into her mind and her hands flew to her knives.

"That gauntlet… You're Albel Nox!"

Albel seemed even more amused now that his identity had been revealed, raising a single regal eyebrow. "So, you've heard of me."

Fayt turned towards the Aquarians, hoping for answers. "Who the hell is he?"

Nel didn't take her eyes off of Albel for a second. "He's the best swordsman in all of Airyglyph and the Captain of the Black Brigade. A ruthless bastard who kills to prove his strength." Her eyes narrowed and her voice was laced with disgust and hatred. "Better known as 'Albel the Wicked'…"

The man laughed loudly, smirking. "I'm glad you're so well versed in my lore, wench." Albel scoffed, eyeing the group with bored curiosity.

Cliff didn't like how this guy was acting. It was three on one, and he looked like he didn't have a care in the world. "Hey, I'm gonna smack that cocky look off your face!" he snarled, fists raised, but the Captain paid him no mind.

"Bah, the maggot talks big." Albel said dismissively, waving his hand, "You might have some potential, but you're no match for me."

This only seemed to antagonize the normally laid back Klausian further. "What the Hell did you just say!" Cliff shouted furiously, "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Albel shook his head, chuckling. "I'm not interested in fighting a bunch of tired fools. Easy wins have never been my style. And unlike Vox, I take no joy in trouncing weaklings." He sneered.

"Who ya callin' a weakling?" the blonde snarled, and looked like he would have jumped the swordsman right then and there.

The Captain drove home the final nail in the coffin as he spoke again. "Go back to your own lands. This is your only warning, fools." The sheer arrogance in his tone and stance caused Cliff to try and leap for him.

"Come down here and say that you bastard!" Cliff roared, but Nel grabbed his burly arms, barely holding him back, keeping her eyes on the man known as the Wicked.

"You're gonna let us slip away? That's pretty nice for a guy like you." The redhead said, partly suspicious and partly mocking.

Albel shook his head again. "Don't get me wrong, I just can't be bothered. And taking hostages isn't the way I do business." His lip curled into an arrogant sneer. "Its really a waste of time, a game for old men and fools who can't depend on their own strength."

"What do you call this, then?" Fayt demanded, speaking for the first time since the Captain appeared.

Lazily, Albel's eyes appraised the boy, remembering the magic he used. "Those maggots did this without my consent. I knew nothing about it." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, your escape is his blunder. I've no obligation to clean up his mess." His tone was infuriating, and the conceit in his voice and on his face only made it worse.

"But he was your subordinate! You have to take responsibility for his actions!" Fayt shouted, clenching his fists, blazing with anger.

With one more contemptuous sneer, Albel turned away, his braided hair swishing behind him. "I tire of your lectures, fool. Now leave, or I will kill you."

Nel was barely able to drag Fayt and Cliff away.

* * *

Author's Notes

Kaji Ryouji is a nod to Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Hiei to Yu Yu Hakusho. Probably not an Airgylphian name, but I don't what is one. At last, Albel's in the story, and its picking up. As stated earlier, the love triangle humor has been removed to keep the more serious tone of the story. I promise that the other fic will come out soon.

I'm telling no one about which pairing was picked though... let's keep it vague. But don't get your hopes up.

Here's hoping though, that the next chapter doesn't take four months to be complete.


End file.
